Declined Live Birth Rate from In Vitro Fertilization Fresh Cycles Performed during Chinese New Year Holiday Season

Abstract

Abstract Objective: To investigate whether there is an impact of the Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday season on the outcomes of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) fresh embryo transfer cycles. Study Design: A retrospective study Subjects: 4,688 patients receiving their first IVF fresh cycle attempt between January 2017 and October 2021 were included in the study, of which 4,449 women underwent IVF during non-holiday seasons, while 239 women were treated during the CNY holiday season. Main Outcome Measure(s): The primary outcome was the live birth rate (LBR). Result(s): The liver birth rate (LBR) of IVF performed during the CNY holiday season was 32.22%, significantly lower than that of the non-holiday season (43.38%, p<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression demonstrated that the CNY holiday season (OR=0.62, 95%CI 0.47-0.82, p=0.001) was an independent factor associated with the live birth rate. Propensity score matching (PSM) data analysis showed the LBR in the CNY holiday season group is 31.78% versus 42.64% in the non-holiday season group (p=0.005). Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) data also indicated that the CNY holiday season had a lower LBR than the non-holiday season (OR=0.64, 95%CI 0.47-0.87, p=0.005). Conclusion: This research demonstrated for the first time the existence of a decline in the LBR of IVF performed during the CNY holiday season. IVF performed during the Chinese New Year holiday season results in a declined live birth rate. The abrupt lifestyle change, emotional stress, and traveling may have contributed to such an effect.