Prevention of iatrogenic pelvic infection during in vitro fertilization--current practice in the UK.

Uterine instrumentation can provoke pelvic inflammatory disease in women infected with Chlamydia trachomatis. During an IVF treatment cycle, a fine plastic catheter is passed into the endometrial cavity to transfer the embryos. The objective of this survey was to find out what measures are being taken by IVF clinics to prevent ascending infection. Postal questionnaires were sent to 75 clinics in the UK, asking about their sexually transmitted infection screening policies and their protocols on antibiotic prophylaxis. Seventy clinics (93%) responded, of which 37 (53%) neither screen the female partner for C. trachomatis, nor give appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis. Approximately half of UK IVF clinics make no attempt to either detect or treat chlamydial infection prior to embryo transfer. More research is required to evaluate whether embryo transfer does pose a significant risk factor for pelvic inflammatory disease.