Tuesday, October 18, 2016

News from American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) 2016 Scientific Congress— Laparoscopic surgery or ART directly---What comes first in patients with Unexplained Infertility.

Clinical Pearls:

  • Both the procedure resulted in pregnancy rate at par with each other, but the researchers advocate doing diagnostic and therapeutic laparoscopy first in patients with unexplained infertility.  

American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) 2016 Scientific Congress is currently ongoing at (October 15 – 19) Salt Lake City, Utah. Some selected abstract and news from the conference.

It is always an obstetrician dilemma whether to perform laparoscopy first or go for ART in patient diagnosed with unexplained infertility.

 A randomized prospective clinical trial results by Algergawy  A.et al. presented on October 18, 2016 evaluated the outcome of these two approaches.[1]

The study involved a cohort of 423 patients who were diagnosed with unexplained infertility based on normal HSG findings, regular ovulation, normal hormonal profile and normal male partner. These women were randomized into two groups. Women who underwent COH followed by IUI for 3 cycles and then ICSI constituted group 1 (205). The second group (218) consists of women who underwent laparoscopy (Diagnostic and therapeutic).

86 women (41.95%) in the first group conceived within 1 year, 26 cases (12.6%) by IUI. and 60 cases (29.26%) by ICSI.

In the second group, diagnostic laparoscopy revealed multiple pathology like mild to moderate endometriosis, severe endometriosis and hypoplastic fallopian tube. Adhesiolysis, ablation and excision of endometriotic implant was performed. The overall pregnancy rate in group 2 was 84 cases (38.53%). 

Although the pregnancy rate in both group is at par, laparoscopy resulted in better diagnosis of causes of unexplained infertility resulting in better management of cases. It also enabled spontaneous pregnancy in significant number of patients thus avoiding psychological, emotional and physical trauma of ART. It also avoids the many complications of ART like OHSS and multiple pregnancy.


If the patient of unexplained infertility does not conceive after laparoscopy, then ART can always be performed when needed and previous diagnostic laparoscopy facilitates the results of ART.




[1] http://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(16)61545-5/fulltext

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