AVERAGE TIME TO CONCEIVE FOLLOWING LAPAROSCOPIC TREATMENT OF ENDOMETRIOSIS IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING IVF

Abstract

To compare the length of time IVF patients spent trying to conceive before and after laparoscopic treatment of endometriosis Retrospective cohort study at a university-affiliated private practice. Inclusion criteria were reproductive age females currently undergoing IVF with a diagnosis of unexplained infertility. All patients were deemed positive for endometrial BCL-6 over-expression before surgery and underwent laparoscopic surgery with an indication for treatment of suspected endometriosis. The primary outcome was to compare length of time patients were trying to conceive prior to surgery versus after surgery. All patients were operated on by a single surgeon who is experienced and specializes in reproductive surgery along with fellows assisting during the procedure. Forty patients met inclusion criteria for our study. Of these, 77.5% were of age > 35 years and 22.5% were of age < 35 years. Patients were unsuccessfully trying to conceive for an average of 29 months before surgery and an average of 4 months after surgery. All forty patients were able to successfully conceive via frozen embryo transfer after surgery. Ten patients were excluded from the study due to diagnosis of ovarian cyst, septum, hydrosalpinx etc. that could also contribute to their infertility. All forty patients had confirmation of pathology proven endometriosis. Patients with BCL-6 over-expression undergoing IVF should consider surgery for endometriosis as this significantly reduces their time to conceive and also improves their reproductive outcomes.