Who will conceive with IVF?

In: European Clinics in Obstetrics and Gynaecology · 2006 · vol. 2(1) , pp. 1–8 · doi:10.1007/s11296-006-0026-9 · W2062680656
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This article reviews patient-determined factors and medical therapies influencing IVF conception, concluding that optimizing pre-treatment couple health may be more beneficial than adjuvant therapies.

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This paper reviews how the underlying cause of infertility and, more importantly, patient-determined prognostic factors influence the chance of establishing a healthy ongoing pregnancy after IVF, alongside the empirical medical therapies clinicians commonly use during treatment. It concludes that infertility diagnosis plays a relatively minor role compared with individualized prognostic factors, some of which can be addressed through lifestyle and nutritional interventions, whereas greater focus on pre-IVF health optimization may be more beneficial than adjuvant medical therapies during treatment. A key caveat is that the paper is a narrative review rather than a new empirical study with specific patient outcomes or trial-level comparisons of interventions. This paper does not explicitly discuss endometriosis or adenomyosis; it was included in the corpus via a keyword match in the upstream search index.

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Abstract

When considering the chances of establishing a healthy ongoing pregnancy after in vitro fertilization (IVF), the cause of infertility plays a relatively minor role. In recent years, there has been a shift from determining the diagnosis to the individual prognosis for a given patient. A number of prognostic factors were identified, which enabled clinicians to appropriately counsel patients. Patient-determined factors are of crucial importance and some are amenable to intervention such as lifestyle and nutritional advice. However, the attention of clinicians remains on seeking adjuvant therapeutic interventions designed to improve the outcomes of IVF treatment. In this article, the patient-determined factors underlying the individual chance of conceiving and the more commonly prescribed empirical medical therapies prescribed to enhance outcomes are reviewed. It is concluded that greater attention to optimizing the health of the couple before starting IVF treatment may be more beneficial than adjuvant medical therapies during treatment. Similar content being viewed by others

References

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J Soc Gynecol Investig 12:24A Boxmeer JC, Smit M, Weber RFA, Lindemans J, Romijn JC, Eijkemans MJC, Macklon NS, Steegers-Theunissen RPM (2006) Seminal plasma cobalamin significantly correlates with sperm concentration. J Soc Gynecol Investig (in press) Author information Authors and Affiliations Rights and permissions About this article Cite this article Macklon, N.S., Fauser, B.C.J.M. Who will conceive with IVF?. Eur Clinics Obstet Gynecol 2, 1–8 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11296-006-0026-9 Received: Accepted: Published: Issue date: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11296-006-0026-9

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