title: Spontaneous pregnancies in couples who discontinued intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment: a 5-year follow-up study.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Center for Reproductive Medicine, Dutch-Speaking Brussels Free University, Belgium. osmanagaglu@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Kaan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Osmanagaoglu
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.forename: Efstratios
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kolibianakis
authors.forename: Herman
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tournaye
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Camus
authors.forename: Andre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Van Steirteghem
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Devroey
mesh_terms: 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