title: Predictive value of pregnancy history in subfertile couples: results from a nationwide cohort study in the Netherlands.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether pregnancy history can predict the occurrence of a spontaneous ongoing pregnancy in subfertile couples.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty fertility centers in the Netherlands.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subfertile, ovulatory women with at least one patent tube and male partners without severely impaired semen quality.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fertility work-up, including a detailed pregnancy history.
  
  
  METHODS
  Spontaneous ongoing pregnancy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We included 4445 couples, of whom 793 (18%) had a spontaneous ongoing pregnancy within 1 year of follow-up. Previous live birth and miscarriage in current partnership were both associated with higher fecundity as compared with primary infertility (hazard rate ratios for spontaneous pregnancy [HR] 1.4; 95% CI, 1.2-1.7 and 1.3; 95% CI, 1.0-1.5, respectively). Pregnancies in a woman's previous partnerships did not affect the fecundity of the couple. A pregnancy in a previous partnership of the male partner was associated with lower fecundity (HR 0.76; 95% CI, 0.58-0.99). A previous pregnancy after fertility treatment also was associated with lower fecundity (HR 0.52; 95% CI, 0.30-0.90).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Accurate prediction of the future fertility of a couple requires an exact assessment of the fertility history of both partners.
authors.affiliation: Center for Reproductive Medicine, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. j.w.vandersteeg@amc.uva.nl
authors.forename: Jan W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: van der Steeg
authors.forename: Pieternel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Steures
authors.forename: Marinus J C
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Eijkemans
authors.forename: J Dik F
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Habbema
authors.forename: Peter G A
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Hompes
authors.forename: Henri W B
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Michgelsen
authors.forename: Pieter F M
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: van der Heijden
authors.forename: Patrick M M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Bossuyt
authors.forename: Fulco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: van der Veen
authors.forename: Ben W J
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Mol
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011379:Prognosis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity