Similar reproductive outcomes between lesbian-shared IVF (ROPA) and IVF with autologous oocytes

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Medicine
• In Vitro Fertilization
• Gamete Donation

Background:

• The ROPA method allows same-sex female couples to share parenthood, with one partner donating oocytes for fertilization and the other carrying the pregnancy.
• IVF with autologous oocytes is a standard treatment for various infertility conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare reproductive outcomes between the ROPA method and standard IVF using autologous oocytes.
• To investigate the influence of a lack of genetic connection between embryo and recipient on pregnancy success.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective multicentric cohort study included 99 ROPA cycles and 2929 non-ROPA cycles from women under 38 years old.
• Clinical outcomes such as pregnancy rates, miscarriage, preterm birth, and live birth rates were compared between the groups.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were observed in clinical outcomes, including clinical pregnancy rates (57% vs. 50.2%) and live birth rates (46.1% vs. 40.9%), between ROPA and non-ROPA groups.
• Adjusted analyses confirmed no impact of genetic link absence on live birth rates.
• Cumulative live birth rates were high for ROPA cycles (73.7% per cycle, 78.3% per couple).

Conclusions:

• The ROPA method demonstrates comparable reproductive outcomes to IVF with autologous oocytes.
• These findings indicate that the absence of a genetic link between the embryo and the uterus does not negatively affect reproductive treatment success.
• Outcomes for the ROPA method are reassuring for patients.