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First trimester pregnancy ultrasound findings as a function of method of conception in an infertile population

  • Assisted Reproduction Technologies
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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was to determine whether first trimester ultrasound measurements of crown rump length (CRL) and gestational sac diameter (GSD) differ depending on the method of conception among infertile women.

Method

Infertile women, ages 21–50 years old, who conceived viable, singleton pregnancies via fresh embryo transfer (ET), frozen ET, non-in vitro fertilization (IVF) fertility treatment, or spontaneously were included in this observational cohort study at an academic fertility practice. Embryonic growth trajectories defined by the CRL and GSD at 6 and 8 weeks’ gestation were analyzed and compared among the methods of conception.

Results

Crown rump length at 6 weeks’ gestation was smaller for conceptions achieved via fresh ET compared with frozen ET in a natural cycle (1.50 vs. 2.50 mm, p = 0.017). Crown rump length was smaller at 8 weeks’ gestation in conceptions achieved via fresh ET compared to frozen ET in a programmed cycle (16.13 vs. 17.02 mm, p = 0.039).

Conclusion

Among infertile women, embryo growth may differ between fresh and frozen ET as early as 6 and 8 weeks’ gestation.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Raquel Fleischmann who participated in recruiting women and entering data.

Funding

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health/National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development P01 HD065647-01A1 (VLB) and a German Research Foundation Heisenberg-Fellowship Award VE490/8-1 (FVVH). The use of REDCap was supported by Stanford CTSA award number UL1 TR001085 from NIH/NCRR.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stanford Medicine Fertility and Reproductive Health, Stanford University School of Medicine, 1195 West Fremont Avenue, Suite 1301, Sunnyvale, CA, 94087, USA

    Frauke von Versen-Höynck & Valerie L. Baker

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Lower Saxony, Germany

    Frauke von Versen-Höynck

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd, Portland, OR, 97239, USA

    Jenna S. Petersen

  4. Department of Biostatistics, University of Florida, 2004 Mowry Road, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Yueh-Yun Chi & Jing Liu

Authors
  1. Frauke von Versen-Höynck
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  2. Jenna S. Petersen
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  3. Yueh-Yun Chi
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  4. Jing Liu
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  5. Valerie L. Baker
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Frauke von Versen-Höynck.

Ethics declarations

Compliance with ethical standards

All procedures performed in the study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

The authors consider that the first two authors should be regarded as joint First Authors.

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von Versen-Höynck, F., Petersen, J.S., Chi, YY. et al. First trimester pregnancy ultrasound findings as a function of method of conception in an infertile population. J Assist Reprod Genet 35, 863–870 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-018-1120-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-018-1120-x

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