Effects of different stages of endometriosis on the outcome of in vitro fertilization.

Objective: This study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of different stages of endometriosis on the outcome of treatment in an in vitro fertilization (IVF) program.

Methods: This was a retrospective, matched case-control study in an academic tertiary referral centre. The study group consisted of 87 women with laparoscopically diagnosed endometriosis, and the control group consisted of 87 age-matched women undergoing IVF for different reasons. The primary outcomes were duration of stimulation, total gonadotropin dose requirement, peak serum estradiol level, total number of oocytes retrieved, fertilization rate, embryo quality, implantation rate, and clinical pregnancy rate. The effect of obliteration of the cul-de-sac by endometriosis was also evaluated.

Results: Women with endometriosis required significantly higher gonadotropin doses than women in the control group (P < 0.01). The fertilization rate was significantly lower for women with endometriosis (P < 0.05), although there was no difference in embryo quality or in the number of embryos transferred. In patients with an obliterated cul-de-sac, fewer oocytes were retrieved than in patients in the control group (P < 0.01).

Conclusions: The presence of endometriosis, including stages III and IV, does not affect IVF outcome. However, women with endometriosis require more gonadotropin stimulation than those with no endometriosis. Women with an obliterated cul-de-sac have fewer oocytes retrieved than women without obliteration.