Results of in vitro fertilization pregnancies: experience at Boston's Beth Israel Hospital.

The outcomes of 65 consecutive pregnancies achieved by in vitro fertilization (IVF) at Boston's Beth Israel Hospital (BIH) were studied. A total of 38 infants were delivered from the 65 pregnancies. The rate of multiple gestation was 17%. Premature delivery occurred in 24% of the IVF patients, and the cesarean section rate was 45% (neither significant versus controls); there was one IVF maternal death. Tocolytic agents were used more often (P less than 0.25) in IVF pregnancies than in controls, but no other pregnancy complication was statistically more frequent. The IVF perinatal mortality rate was 26.3 per 1,000. Of the BIH IVF infants, 55% had problems in the immediate neonatal period (P less than .01 compared with controls), and 37% of the IVF neonates required transfer to the neonatal intensive care unit. Congenital defects, including minor ones, were present in 8.6% of the IVF newborns. We concluded that IVF pregnancies and deliveries require careful monitoring.