Are singleton assisted reproductive technology pregnancies at risk of prematurity?

PURPOSE: Our purpose was to determine the risk of premature delivery among singleton pregnancies derived from assisted reproduction technology (ART).

METHODS

Ninety-five singleton ART pregnancies and 190 matched spontaneous pregnancies were assessed for preterm delivery rates, pregnancy complications, and cesarean section rates in a retrospective study at an academic medical center.

RESULTS

Among the ART singleton deliveries group (n = 95), 19 (20%) were preterm, which was statistically significantly higher than the 4% (8 of 190) found in the control group. Among the pregnancies achieved by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in the severe male-factor infertility subgroup (n = 22), only one preterm delivery occurred (4.5%).

CONCLUSIONS

Singleton ART pregnancies are at an increased risk of preterm delivery compared to singleton pregnancies after spontaneous conception. The higher rate may be attributed to various infertility cofactors, such as uterine malformations, previous operative procedures that involved cervical dilatation, and a history of pelvic infection. This is supported by the finding that ICSI-derived pregnancies in couples with strict male-factor infertility are not at an increased risk of preterm delivery.