Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Likelihood of natural conception following treatment by IVF

  • Assisted Reproduction
  • Published:
Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose: To predict the ongoing likelihood of natural conception, when a couple has ceased to try to conceive by assisted conception.

Methods: A postal questionnaire survey obtained information on further attempts to conceive and have a baby, either without treatment or by treatment elsewhere.

Results: From a response rate of 44%, there were 116 couples who fulfilled the study criteria. The data presented are based on this group. The overall likelihood of conception was 18%. Cumulative results were analysed up to 3 years following treatment. Univariate analysis showed that likelihood of conception was affected by infertility diagnosis (p = 0.024), woman's age (> 38 years; p < 0.005) (negatively) and duration of infertility (< 3 years; p < 0.005) (positively), while primary infertility did not. Effects of diagnosis and infertility duration were confirmed by multivariable analysis, controlling for age and primary infertility. These latter variables had no independent effect.

Conclusion: The likelihood of natural conception following IVF treatment was determined by duration of infertility and diagnosis; tubal disease in particular was associated with a very poor likelihood of natural conception.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Evers JL, de Haas HW, Land JA, Dumoulin JC, Dunselman GA: Treatment-independent pregnancy rate in patients with severe reproductive disorders. Hum Reprod 1998;13(5):1206–1209

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Alam V, Solis F, Zegers-Hochschild F, Balmaceda JP: Spontaneous pregnancy after ART cycles: Follow up of 927 cycles. In Abstracts of the 14th Annual Meeting of the ESHRE, Goteborg, 1998; p. 70

  3. Kupka MS, Dorn C, Richter O, van der Ven HH, Krebs D: Prognostic factors for treatment-independent pregnancies in assisted reproduction. In Abstracts of the 15th Annual Meeting of the ESHRE, Tours, France, 1999; pp. 316–317

  4. Roh SI, Awadalla SG, Friedman CI, Park JM, Chin N, Dodds WG et al.: In vitro fertilization and embryo transfer: Treatment-dependent versus -independent pregnancies. Fertil Steril 1987;48(6):982–986

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Shimizu Y, Kodama H, Fukuda J, Murata M, Kumagai J, Tanaka T: Spontaneous conception after the birth of infants conceived through in vitro fertilization treatment. Fertil Steril 1999;71(1):35–39

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Hull MG, Glazener CM, Kelly NJ, Conway DI, Foster PA, Hinton RA et al.: Population study of causes, treatment and outcome of infertility. BMJ 1985;291:1693–1697

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Collins JA, Burrows EA, Willan AR: The prognosis for live birth among untreated infertile couples. Fertil Steril 1995;64(1):22–28

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Snick HKA, Snick TS, Evers JLH, Collins JA: The spontaneous pregnancy prognosis in untreated subfertile couples: The Walcheren primary care study. Hum Reprod 1997;12(7):1582–1588

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Vardon D, Burban C, Collomb J, Stolla V, Erny R: Spontaneous pregnancies in couples after failed or successful in vitro fertilization. J Gynecol Obstet Biol Reprod (Paris) 1995;24(8):811–815

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Hull MG, Eddowes HA, Fahy U, Abuzeid MI, Mills MS, Cahill DJ et al.: Expectations of assisted conception for infertility. BMJ 1992;304(6840):1465–1469

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Olivennes F, Kerbrat V, Rufat P, Blanchet V, Fanchin R, Frydman R: Follow-up of a cohort of 422 children aged 6 to 13 years conceived by in vitro fertilization. Fertil Steril 1997;67(2):284–289

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Gleicher N, VanderLaan B, Pratt D, Karande V: Background pregnancy rates in an infertile population. Hum Reprod 1996;11(5):1011–1012

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Hull MG, Fleming CF, Hughes AO, McDermott A: The age-related decline in female fecundity: A quantitative controlled study of implanting capacity and survival of individual embryos after in vitro fertilization. Fertil Steril 1996;65(4):783–790

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Ziebe S, Loft A, Petersen JH, Andersen AG, Lindenberg S, Petersen K et al.: Embryo quality and developmental potential is compromised by age. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2001;80(2):169–174

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Akande VA, Fleming CF, Hunt LP, Keay SD, Jenkins JM: Biological versus chronological ageing of oocytes, distinguishable by raised FSH levels in relation to the success of IVF treatment. Hum Reprod 2002;17(8):2003–2008

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Glazener CMA, Ford WCL. Predicting conception. Hum Fertil 2002;5(suppl 1):S3–S8

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Academic Unit of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Clinical Sciences at South Bristol, St. Michael's Hospital, Bristol, BS2 8EG, United Kingdom

    D. J. Cahill & V. A. Akande

  2. University of Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine, 4 Priory Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 1TH, United Kingdom

    J. Meadowcroft & E. Corrigan

Authors
  1. D. J. Cahill
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. Meadowcroft
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. V. A. Akande
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. E. Corrigan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to D. J. Cahill.

Additional information

This paper has been previously presented in part at the 57th Annual Meeting of ASRM, October 20–25th, 2001.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cahill, D.J., Meadowcroft, J., Akande, V.A. et al. Likelihood of natural conception following treatment by IVF. J Assist Reprod Genet 22, 401–405 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-005-6655-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-005-6655-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation