Evaluating the outcomes between in vitro fertilization (IVF) and non-IVF treatment after conservative surgery of advanced endometriosis in patients with a good Endometriosis Fertility Index score.

This study evaluated the outcomes between in vitro fertilization (IVF) and non-IVF treatment after conservative surgery of advanced endometriosis (EM) in patients with a good Endometriosis Fertility Index (EFI) score. The data showed that both IVF and non-IVF treatments showed similar clinical pregnancy and live birth rates in these patients.

Endometriosis (EM) is a condition where the endometrium (uterus lining) grows outside of the uterus. It causes pain and can lead to infertility. To treat EM, patients may undergo a procedure called laparoscopic surgery (LS; surgery performed through cables with a camera inserted through small cuts in the belly).

After treatment, fertility can improve, and some patients can become pregnant. This is not true for all patients. It is important to try to predict if a patient will see an improvement in fertility. The Endometriosis Fertility Index (EFI) measures fertility in women with EM. The EFI includes factors such as a woman’s age, infertility time, history of surgeries, and location of lesions. The EFI scale ranges from 0 to 10. Women with higher scores are more likely to become pregnant following surgery. The pregnancy outcomes between IVF and non-IVF treatments after LS in patients with a good EFI score (>3) are still unknown.

This study involved 62 infertile women with advanced EM. All patients underwent LS and had an EFI score of more than 3. 32 women received IVF treatment and 30 women received non-IVF treatment. Patients were followed-up for 36 months after treatment.

After 36 months, the clinical pregnancy rate was 59.38% in the IVF group and 40% in the non-IVF group. After 36 months, the abortion rate was 9.38% in the IVF group and 6.67% in the non-IVF group. After 36 months, the live birth rate was 50% in the IVF group and 33% in the non-IVF group. These differences were not statistically significant.

This study concluded that both IVF and non-IVF treatments showed similar clinical pregnancy and live birth rates after LS of advanced EM in patients with good EFI scores.

This study did not include patients with poor EFI scores (lower than 3). This study did not evaluate the influence of body mass index (BMI; weight in relation to height) with respect to endometriosis grade. More studies are needed to confirm the findings.