Comparison of life birth rate and fetal outcome between fresh embryo transfers and frozen-thawed embryo transfers following ICSI treatment at infertility ward of Al-Zahra Hospital from 2017 until 2022

Abstract

Different ART protocols in different centers are a reason involved in the heterogeneity of results, which reminds us of the necessity of conducting studies in this field. Due to the polarity of the infertility center of Al-Zahra Hospital, where numerous ARTs are performed every year, the importance of examining the results of frozen or fresh embryo transfer in this center is twofold. This study compares the live birth rate and fetal outcomes between fresh and frozen embryo transfer in ICSI cycles to the infertility center of Al-Zahra Hospital in Tabriz. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive non-interventional study, all women who underwent embryo transfer between 2017 and 2022 were examined based on the study's inclusion and exclusion criteria. Patients in cycles with fresh embryo transfer and patients for whom frozen embryos were transferred were compared in terms of live birth rate and fetal outcomes as the primary outcome. Chemical confirmation of pregnancy was defined as beta HCG serum more than 50 IU/L twelve days after embryo transfer. Clinical pregnancy was defined as the observation of fetal heart activity by transvaginal ultrasound 5 weeks after beta HCG was positive. Results: 469 patients were examined, the frequency of primary infertility was 83.3% and secondary 16.7%. The rates of chemical pregnancy was 21.8% in the fresh embryo group and 17.2% in the frozen embryo group. The frequency of clinical pregnancy in the fresh and frozen embryo groups was 19% and 13.4%, respectively, and the rate of live births was 14.1% and 9.1%, respectively. The incidence of multiple pregnancy and birth was 5% in the fresh embryo group and 13.8% in the frozen embryo group. Spontaneous abortion occurred at a rate of 22.2% in the fresh embryo group and 30.2% in the frozen embryo group.