Spontaneous pregnancies in couples who discontinued intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment: a 5-year follow-up study.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the occurrence of deliveries after spontaneous conception in patients who have discontinued unsuccessful intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment.


METHODS
Cohort follow-up study.


METHODS
Tertiary referral center.


METHODS
Between July 1992 and December 1993, 200 Belgian women younger than 37 years underwent 433 consecutive unsuccessful ICSI cycles with freshly ejaculated sperm and eventually discontinued their treatment.


METHODS
Ultrasound-guided oocyte retrieval and ICSI.


METHODS
Delivery after 25 weeks following a spontaneous pregnancy.


RESULTS
The mean age at the time of the last oocyte pick-up was 31.0 +/- 3.9 years. The mean time interval between the last ICSI and the end of the follow-up period was 47.7 +/- 12.1 months. Twenty-three spontaneous pregnancies ending in delivery after 25 weeks were observed (11.5%). The cumulative delivery rate reached a plateau of 10% after 36 months of follow-up. The mean time interval (from last oocyte retrieval) for spontaneous pregnancy to occur after discontinuing ICSI treatment was 20.2 +/- 13.7 months. Proportional hazards analysis showed that delivery rate was reduced by 2.0% per year of infertility.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that duration of infertility appears to be predictive of the likelihood of live delivery after spontaneous conception following an unsuccessful ICSI treatment.
Osmanagaoglu
Kaan
K
Center for Reproductive Medicine, Dutch-Speaking Brussels Free University, Belgium. osmanagaglu@hotmail.com
Collins
John
J
Kolibianakis
Efstratios
E
Tournaye
Herman
H
Camus
Michel
M
Van Steirteghem
Andre
A
Devroey
Paul
P
D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011379:Prognosis; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic / Q000379:methods; D013997:Time Factors