Abstracts: International Symposium on Immunopathogenesis of Pregnancy, December 6–7, 1997

Objective: Endometriosis is a very common cause of infertility and often an indication for in vitro fertilization with embryo trans- fer (IVF-ET). When patients have severe endometriosis affecting the tubes, infertility is understandable. However, the mechanism of infertility with minimal or mild disease is unclear. Some au- thors have purported a decline in fecundity after IVF-ET in endo- metriosis patients in advanced stages of disease. It has also been suggested that treatment of minimal or mild endometriosis in in- fertility patients who are attempting natural conception is benefi- cial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the presence of endometriosis and the stage of disease on IVF-ET outcome.