Prediction of pregnancy in infertile women with endometriosis

To estimate the probability of pregnancy in infertile women with endometriosis, two series of multivariate analyses were performed in Tohoku University Hospital. In the first series, from 1993 to 1997, 103 patients participated. The Cox proportional hazard regression model revealed a hazard ratio of 2.43 in patients with high ovarian adhesion scores. Bilateral ovarian adhesion was an important variable in anatomical factors, probably second only to bilateral tubal adhesion. In the next series, from 1998 to 1999, 23 patients were included, and the preoperative serum concentrations of cytokines, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha were analyzed. Only TNF-alpha was selected with a forward stepwise analysis after forcing age and infertile duration. In the logistic regression model, the serum TNF-alpha level had a significant and negative impact on the likelihood of pregnancy.