Experience of assisted reproductive technology at King Abdulaziz University Hospital

To present the authors' experience with assisted reproductive technology (ART) at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Retrospective analysis of data collected from the charts of 264 women who were undergoing their first cycle of ART between September 2013 and March 2014. All the women were treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist protocol. For all patients, the documented data included age, infertility type, cause, and hormone profile. Number of follicles > 10 mm, endometrial thickness, number of oocytes retrieved, number of fertilized ova, and number of embryos produced, as well as the number transferred, day of transfer, cancellation rate, and treatment administered for luteal phase support (oral and vaginal progesterone) treatment type, and outcome were recorded. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences.

The authors included women aged 21 to 39 years (mean ± standard deviation, 32.28 ± 5.51). Patients suffered from primary infertility in 69.7% of the cases; approximately 30% of the women had secondary infertility. Eighty of the 264 patients (30.3%) conceived; however, only 56 women (21.2%) had a live birth. The overall cancellation rate in the patients was 12.1%. The following reasons were documented for cases of failure: no oocytes, 16 (6.1%); no sperm, eight (3.0%); and no embryo, eight (3.0%).

The success rate of ART at the present institution falls within the range reported in the medical literature. However, further studies should be conducted to investigate the course and outcome of ART in patients who undergo treatment in this institution.