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Is bed rest following embryo transfer necessary?
1Assisted Conception Unit, University of Birmingham, Birmingham Women's Hospital, West Midlands, United Kingdom. khaldoun@acu.co.uk
Fertility and Sterility
|April 9, 1998
Summary
No bed rest after embryo transfer (ET) in in vitro fertilization (IVF) programs is not necessary. Studies show higher pregnancy rates without mandatory bed rest, indicating it does not improve IVF outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Medicine
- In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)
Background:
- Post-embryo transfer (ET) bed rest is a common practice in in vitro fertilization (IVF) programs.
- The necessity and impact of bed rest on IVF success rates remain debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effect of omitting bed rest following embryo transfer (ET) on the outcomes of an in vitro fertilization (IVF) program.
Main Methods:
- A historical cohort-control study was conducted at a university-based assisted conception unit.
- Compared 1019 IVF cycles with no post-ET bed rest to 19,697 historical UK national database cycles (April 1994–March 1995).
- Primary outcomes measured were pregnancy rate (PR) per cycle and per ET procedure.
Main Results:
- The clinical pregnancy rate per ET was significantly higher in the no-bed-rest group (30%) compared to the national data (22.9%).
- Clinical PR per cycle was also higher in the no-bed-rest group (23.5%) versus the national data (18.6%).
- The implantation rate in the no-bed-rest group was 17.2%.
Conclusions:
- Favorable pregnancy rates were observed in patients who did not undergo bed rest after ET.
- These findings suggest that routine bed rest following ET is not necessary for successful IVF outcomes.