title: Increased rates of thrombophilia in women with repeated IVF failures.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We investigated whether hereditary thrombophilia is more prevalent in women with recurrent IVF-embryo transfer failures.
  
  
  METHODS
  This case-control study was conducted in an academic tertiary care hospital and compared 45 women with a history of four or more failed IVF cycles (group A) with 44 apparently healthy women matched for age and ethnic origin (group B). All participants were tested for inherited thrombophilias: mutations of prothrombin, factor V Leiden and methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), and protein C, protein S and antithrombin III deficiencies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Excluding homozygotic MTHFR, the incidence of thrombophilia in group A, was 26.7% compared with 9.1% in group B (P = 0.003; odds ratio 2.9; 95% confidence interval 1.02-8.4). The incidence of thrombophilia in women with unexplained infertility in group A was 42.9% (9/21), compared with 18.2% in group B (P < 0.002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest that inherited thrombophilia may play a role in the aetiology of repeated IVF failures, particularly in the subgroup with unexplained fertility.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Lis Maternity Hospital and Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. azemf@tasmc.health.gov.il
authors.forename: Foad
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Azem
authors.forename: Ariel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Many
authors.forename: Ido
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ben Ami
authors.forename: Israel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yovel
authors.forename: Ami
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Amit
authors.forename: Joseph B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Lessing
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kupferminc
mesh_terms: D020152:Antithrombin III Deficiency; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D005165:Factor V / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000628:therapy; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2) / Q000235:genetics; D009154:Mutation; D020151:Protein C Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology; D018455:Protein S Deficiency; D011516:Prothrombin / Q000235:genetics; D019851:Thrombophilia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D017211:Treatment Failure
chemical_list: C095381:factor V Leiden; D005165:Factor V; D011516:Prothrombin; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2)