A Cross-sectional Study to Determine Pregnancy Outcomes in Transabdominal Ultrasound-guided Embryo Transfer

Abstract

Introduction: The success of any in vitro fertilization (IVF) program depends upon a number of factors, including the ovarian stimulation protocol, quality and quantity of gametes obtained, and the embryo transfer (ET) procedure itself. ET procedure is a crucial step in the success of any IVF or intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycle and has to be mastered and meticulously performed. Ultrasound, being a noninvasive procedure, is used extensively in assisted reproduction and has an important role in ET procedure. Hormonal stimulation of the ovaries causes their enlargement, thereby resulting in variation of the uterine position. There is a paucity of literature documenting this change in uterine position, especially in the Indian population. Therefore, this study was undertaken to find any variation in the uterine position and its impact on pregnancy rates. Methadology: In vitro fertilization was done after ovarian stimulation and ET was done on day 3 at 8 cell stage. Biochemical Pregnancy Rates and clinical pregnancy rates were determined for all the ET procedures. Results: The anteverted uterus was present in 102 cases, amounting to 77.2%, whereas the remaining 30 cases had retroverted uterus, amounting to 22.8%. The ET procedure in anteverted cases was performed with ease in the majority of the cases. However, three cases had difficult ET. In comparison, the six difficult ETs were reported out of a total of 30 retroverted uterus, amounting to 20% of cases. Conclusion: The superiority of ultrasound-guided ET has been proved beyond any doubt as compared to the clinical touch method and it remains the mainstay of ET procedure.