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

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.