Factors Associated with Clinical Pregnancy Following Assisted Reproductive Technology: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Over the years, the numbers of centres performing assisted reproductive technology (ART) have increased in urban regions of Africa. We reviewed a 10-year record of ART in a public hospital in a bid to determine the pregnancy rate and identify factors associated with achieving clinical pregnancy.

Materials And Methods: This was a retrospective, analytical, cross-sectional study of 604 women who had undergone fertilisation (IVF) or IVF/intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection, over a 10-year period, at the [Institute of Fertility Medicine, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital]. Data were obtained from the medical records of couples who had undergone IVF at the study location and analysed using relevant descriptive and inferential statistics. Regression analysis was used to determine possible predictors of clinical pregnancy outcomes at 95% confidence level and significant value of <0.05.

Results: The clinical pregnancy rate observed was 23.7%. Women aged ≥35 years of age had 2.9 odds of achieving pregnancy compared to women <35 years of age. The quality of embryo and dose of the follicle-stimulating hormone used were not significantly different when compared in pregnant and non-pregnant women ( = 0.612 vs 0.881). Endometrial preparation techniques, number of embryos transferred, types of embryos transferred, sperm quality, and source of gametes used were not significantly different in pregnant and non-pregnant women. There was a 0.77 odds of achieving pregnancy when a day-5 embryo was used compared to a day-3 embryo ( = 0.008).

Conclusion: Overall, these results emphasise the multifaceted nature of IVF outcomes, urging further research to elucidate the intricate factors influencing success rates in assisted reproduction.