Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Apr;36(4):607-611.
doi: 10.1007/s10815-019-01407-y. Epub 2019 Jan 25.

Obstetrical complications of thin endometrium in assisted reproductive technologies: a systematic review

Youssef Mouhayar  1 , Jason M Franasiak  2 , Fady I Sharara  3   4
Affiliations

Obstetrical complications of thin endometrium in assisted reproductive technologies: a systematic review

Youssef Mouhayar et al. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2019 Apr.

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of the systematic review is to describe the obstetrical complications associated with pregnancies in the context of a thin endometrial lining.

Methods: Systematic review of the literature.

Results: Patients who conceive in the setting of a thin endometrium have a significantly increased risk of early pregnancy loss, namely miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy. These patients also have a twofold increase in low birth weight and preterm delivery, as well as a significantly higher risk of intrauterine growth restriction and composite adverse perinatal outcomes.

Conclusions: In addition to the lower probability of conception, a thin endometrium in assisted reproductive technologies appears to be associated with both early and late pregnancy complications. These pregnancies thus warrant special attention and close follow-up from obstetricians.

Keywords: Ectopic pregnancy; Low birth weight; Miscarriage; Obstetrical complications; Preterm delivery; Thin endometrium.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Institutional Review Board approval was not required since we only included published data.

References

    1. Kasius A, Smit JG, Torrance HL, Eijkemans MJC, Mol BW, Opmeer BC, Broekmans FJM. Endometrial thickness and pregnancy rates after IVF: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Hum Reprod Update. 2014;20(4):530–541. doi: 10.1093/humupd/dmu011. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Yuan X, Saravelos SH, Wang Q, Xu Y, Li TC, Zhou C. Endometrial thickness as a predictor of pregnancy outcomes in 10787 fresh IVF-ICSI cycles. Reprod BioMed Online. 2016;33:197–205. doi: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2016.05.002. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Sundström P. Establishment of a successful pregnancy following in-vitro fertilization with an endometrial thickness of no more than 4 mm. Hum Reprod. 1998;13(6):1550–1552. doi: 10.1093/humrep/13.6.1550. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Check JH, Dietterich C, Check ML, Katz Y. Successful delivery despite conception with a maximal endometrial thickness of 4 mm. Clin Exp Obstet Gynecol. 2003;30(2–3):93–94. - PubMed
    1. Dix E, Check JH. Successful pregnancies following embryo transfer despite very thin late proliferative endometrium. Clin Exp Obstet Gynecol. 2010;37:15–16. - PubMed

Publication types