[In vitro fertilization at our department. A decade's work in figures and facts (1994-2003)]

We report here on the first decade of in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments performed at a newly established clinical infertility and assisted reproductive unit.

We present the number of treatment cycles, the distribution of treatment modalities ("classical" IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection, ICSI) and success rates, and relate them to national and international data.

During the last decade, ICSI was introduced gradually and is now used routinely at our department. In certain cases of azoospermia, testicular sperm extraction (TESE) is used to retrieve male gametes for ICSI. Embryo cryopreservation, which is also part of the routine, provides the chance to establish pregnancy in subsequent cycles without the need to repeat hormonal stimulation. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis helps us to avoid transferring embryos carrying certain hereditary diseases.

1517 IVF cycles were started in the past ten years. Oocyte pickup and IVF were performed in 1423 cases. In the end of the described period, ICSI was used in more than two thirds of treatment cycles. Pregnancy rates were 39.0% per embryo transfer (ET), 36.3% per oocyte pickup, and 34.0% per started cycle. Clinical pregnancy was achieved in 34.2% per ET, and the delivery rate was 27.9% per ET. These success rates have exceeded the national average every year since 1996. Pregnancy rates in frozen-thawed ET cycles and in cryo-TESE-ICSI cycles are in the range of international data.

We attribute the gradual and continuous improvement in our success rates to rigorous and well-coordinated clinical and laboratory work and to judicious adoption of the latest assisted reproductive techniques.