Impact of adenomyosis on IVF outcomes in women undergoing donor oocyte transfers: a prospective observational study

Abstract

To prospectively examine the association between adenomyosis type, location, and severity with reproductive outcomes in patients undergoing single embryo transfer (SET) with embryos derived from donor oocytes. A prospective observational cohort study. University-affiliated in-vitro fertilization center. Infertile patients with (n=114) and without (n=114) adenomyosis who received their first donor oocyte transfer between January 2019 and January 2023 were included in the study. Adenomyosis was confirmed with the presence of at least one direct feature visualized by 2D/3D transvaginal ultrasound, and classified according to type (diffuse, focal), localization (inner/outer myometrium and/or the junctional zone) and uterine extension (mild, moderate, severe). Following an artificial or natural endometrial preparation cycle, patients underwent SET in the blastocyst stage. The primary outcome was the implantation rate. The secondary outcomes were clinical pregnancy, live birth, and miscarriage rate following SET. (s): The presence of adenomyosis did not significantly affect the implantation, clinical pregnancy, or live birth rates. However, women with adenomyosis had a significantly higher miscarriage rate compared to those without adenomyosis (20.2% vs. 9.6 %, respectively; p=0.04). The multivariate analysis assessed possible risk factors for each clinical outcome considered in the study and showed that adenomyosis affected the risk of miscarriage. Specifically, TVS-detection of adenomyosis in the junctional zone was associated with over three-fold higher odds of miscarriage (RR 3.28, 95% CI 1.38-7.78; p=0.004). Conversely, adenomyosis features detected exclusively in the outer myometrium were associated with a higher ongoing pregnancy (RR 0.30, 95% CI 0.13-0.72; p=0.004). Diffuse adenomyosis in the JZ and severe adenomyosis raised the odds of miscarriage four-fold (RR 2.29, 95% CI 1.22-4.30; p=0.015; and RR 2.20, 95% CI 1.19-4.04; p=0.005). (s): This study demonstrated that while adenomyosis did not significantly reduce the odds of implantation, the direct signs of adenomyosis in the junctional zone and disease severity are significant risk factors for miscarriage in patients receiving donor oocyte transfers. This study highlights the importance of thorough ultrasound examination and detailed adenomyosis classification in the assessment and management of infertile patients.