How time to healthy singleton delivery could affect decision-making during infertility treatment: a Delphi consensus

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Endocrinology
• Infertility Treatment Strategies

Background:

• Effective infertility treatment requires careful consideration of the time to achieve a healthy singleton delivery.
• Optimizing treatment pathways can prevent delays and improve patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how the time to healthy singleton delivery influences decision-making in infertility treatment.
• To establish expert consensus on optimizing fertility treatment duration and success.

Main Methods:

• A three-step Delphi consensus method involving fertility experts.
• Development and iterative refinement of consensus statements through online surveys.
• Consensus defined as ≥66% agreement/disagreement on statements.

Main Results:

• Twelve consensus statements regarding time to healthy singleton delivery were developed.
• Full consensus was achieved on all statements after a single round of expert voting.
• Key procedures identified to reduce time to delivery were agreed upon.

Conclusions:

• Time to healthy singleton delivery must be a key factor in infertility treatment decision-making.
• Optimizing in vitro fertilization (IVF) for women under 40 includes up to six single-embryo transfers.
• Strategies such as preimplantation genetic testing, immediate frozen replacement cycles, and GnRH antagonists can expedite delivery, alongside maximizing oocyte retrieval for higher cumulative live birth rates.