Endometrial vascularity and ongoing pregnancy after IVF.
BACKGROUND
Embryo transfer is prone to failure.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether endometrial vascularity influences in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcome.


METHODS
Total 144 patients receiving IVF (conventional or microinjection) were assessed with color and power Doppler on the day of embryo transfer: age, IVF type, number and quality of embryos, endometrial thickness and aspect, mean uterine PI, uterine notch, type of endometrial vascularity (peripheral or sub- and intra-endometrial), and pregnancy involving second trimester were recorded.


RESULTS
27 (18.7%) pregnancies were obtained. By univariate analysis, two parameters were significant: high frequency of uterine notch (P = 0.03) and peri-endometrial vascularity (P = 0.012) in the group of failures. Multivariate analysis by logistic regression clearly showed that the absence of sub- and intra-endometrial color signal decreased the chances of pregnancy eight-fold odds ratio (OR) = 0.14 [CI: 0.029-0.68].


CONCLUSIONS
In this limited series, the presence of sub- and intra-endometrial vascularity on the day of transfer seemed to be mandatory for obtaining an ongoing pregnancy.
Service de Radiologie A, Pr Diard, Hôpital Pellegrin, Place Amélie Raba Léon, 33076 Bordeaux, France. brigitte.maugey-laulom@chu-bordeaux.fr
Brigitte
B
Maugey-Laulom
Monique
M
Commenges-Ducos
Véronique
V
Jullien
Aline
A
Papaxanthos-Roche
Virginie
V
Scotet
Daniel
D
Commenges
D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D004717:Endometrium / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D012907:Smoking; D014463:Ultrasonography