Malpresentation of the Fetus in Singleton Pregnancies after In Vitro Fertilization

Abstract

BACKGROUND: There are some data in the literature that show an increased incidence of breech presentation and other non-cephalic presentations in vitro fertilization (IVF) singleton pregnancies compared to spontaneous ones. AIM: The purpose of our study was to compare IVF and spontaneous singleton pregnancies in terms of frequency of breech presentation and its impact on the mode of delivery. Furthermore, we wanted to study the rate of transverse and oblique lie in both groups. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a prospective and retrospective study at “Maichin Dom” University Hospital in Sofia, Bulgaria for the period from January 2013 to December 2017 and analyzed 402 singleton IVF pregnancies and compared them with 523 spontaneous singleton pregnancies. The primary outcome was a breech presentation of the fetus. RESULTS: We found a significantly higher rate of breech presentation in IVF compared to spontaneous pregnancies (p < 0.001). According to gestational age, the difference between the groups persisted when the pregnancy was at least the 32nd week of gestation. We found no difference in the frequency of vaginal birth in the two groups when the fetus was in breech presentation CONCLUSION: IVF singleton pregnancies are associated with a higher risk of breech presentation. Further research is needed to determine the factors contributing to the higher incidence of breech presentation among patients undergoing IVF.