Maternal risk factors and neonatal outcomes after ART treatment – A German monocenter experience

Purpose: To describe potential risk factors of ART patients and their neonates. Methods: Retrospective cohort analysis of patients receiving ART treatment and their neonates in a tertiary German university center during a 13 year period. Results were analyzed dividing the patients in 2 main groups according to their mode of conception: group 1: spontaneous conception and group 2: conception after ART including patients after fresh transfer (IVF/ICSI) and freezing-thawing transfer (vitrification/slow-rate freezing). Inclusion criteria were defined as follows: assisted reproductive treatment at the tertiary university center; embryo transfer after ICSI as fresh transfer or freezing-thawing transfer. Exclusion criteria were defined as follows: cryoconservation of 2PN oocytes resulting from in vitro maturation cycles and/or assisted hatching; delivery <24 + 0 weeks p.m., multiple pregnancy and incomplete data. The main outcome parameter was defined as maternal compliance during treatment and gestation week. Results: N = 6884 patients met the inclusion criteria and were divided in two groups: 1: N = 6510 patients and 2: n = 467 patients. Basic maternal characteristics differed for advanced age (28yrs.–33yrs., p ⩽ 0.001), lower degree of nicotine abuse (6.8–1.6%, p < 0.001) and higher number of ultrasound checkups during pregnancy among ART patients (5–6, p < 0.01). The mean gestational week was 39 ± 3 wks. for patients after spontaneous conception and 39 ± 1 wks. for patients after ART treatment (p ⩾ 0.05). Fetal characteristics differed for higher rates of IRDS prevention administered during pregnancy (18–10%, p < 0.001) and postpartal intensive care monitoring for 24 h (7.9% vs. 4.7%, p ⩽ 0.05). Conclusion: Our data suggest that patients under ART treatment are more compliant than average pregnant patients after s.c. The results did not show a significant difference in gestation week after ART treatment.