Pregnancy Outcomes After Endometrioma Excision in Patients Undergoing In Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer: A Historical Cohort Study

Abstract

Objective: The objective of the study was to examine the effect of endometrioma excision on pregnancy outcomes in women with advanced-stage endometriosis who underwent in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET). Design: This is a historical cohort study. Materials and Methods: We compared the pregnancy outcomes of 141 women undergoing IVF-ET. The study group consisted of 25 patients who had stage III/IV endometriosis and endometrioma excision (group 1). The control groups included 40 patients who had stage III/IV endometriosis, but no endometrioma and who underwent ovariolysis (group 2) and 76 patients with tubal factors infertility who underwent tubal surgery (group 3). After surgery up to two IVF-ET cycles in each group were analyzed. Results: Our study showed that the mean total dose of gonadotropin administered in IVF-ET cycle I was higher in group 1 compared with groups 2 and 3 (p=0.03). Otherwise, there was no significant difference in the ovarian responses among the three groups. There was a statistically significant increase in clinical pregnancy rate per cycle in the endometrioma group (69.7%) versus the ovariolysis group (48.1%) and tubal factor group (48.0%). However, there was no significant difference in delivery rate per cycle among the three groups. There was a statistically significant higher miscarriage rate in the endometrioma group (39.1%) compared with the ovariolysis group (11.5%) and tubal factor group (14.3%). Conclusion: In conclusion, our study suggests that endometrioma excision surgery does not compromise the overall ovarian reserve or pregnancy outcomes after IVF-ET. (J GYNECOL SURG 31:214)