Pregnancy results after ovum donation following one to seven embryo transfers.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether failure to achieve pregnancy after repeated ET after ovum donation was due to an endometrial defect or to the embryo quality.

DESIGN

Retrospective data analysis.

SETTING

A private infertility center.

PATIENT(S): Four hundred sixty-seven donors (513 cycles) undergoing IVF donating oocytes to 266 recipients (423 cycles).

INTERVENTION(S): Hormonal endometrial preparation with increasing dosages of valerate E2 (2,4, and 6 mg) and 100 mg of P.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Pregnancy rates (PRs) and abortion rates in patients undergoing one to seven ETs after ovum donation.

RESULT(S): Pregnancy rates in recipients that had one or two ETs were significantly higher (34.8%) compared with those of recipients having three or more ETs (15.1%). Abortion rates were significantly higher (54.5%) in recipients repeating more than three ETs than in the recipients having one or two ETs (29.1%).

CONCLUSION(S): Recipients that had failed to establish a pregnancy after two ETs had a lower PR in successive attempts, possibly because of a defect of their endometrial lining.