Congenital complex uterine anomalies carry complex complications: an evaluation of ART outcomes
- PMID: 41037204
- DOI: 10.1007/s10815-025-03652-w
Congenital complex uterine anomalies carry complex complications: an evaluation of ART outcomes
Abstract
Purpose: To examine assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes in patients with congenital complex uterine anomalies (CUA) as well as the impact of surgical repair on these outcomes.
Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed 46 patients with CUA who underwent 130 embryo transfer cycles at a large academic fertility center from 2000 to 2024. Outcomes were compared between patients who underwent surgical repair and those who did not.
Results: The overall live birth and ongoing pregnancy rate after fresh or frozen embryo transfer was 36.9% (48/130). Cesarean section was the most common mode of delivery (61.7%). Pregnancy complications occurred in 38.3% of live births. Live birth and ongoing pregnancy rates did not differ significantly between patients with and without surgical repair (32.6% vs. 39.2%, p = 0.57).
Conclusions: Patients with complex uterine anomalies experience lower live birth rates compared to the center's average and face a high risk of pregnancy complications. Surgical repair of CUA does not significantly improve ART outcomes. Personalized counseling regarding goals and risks is crucial for CUA patients undergoing ART.
Keywords: Assisted reproductive technology; Bicornuate; Complex uterine anomalies; Didelphys; Embryo transfer; Müllerian anomalies; Reproductive surgery; Septum; Unicornuate; Uterine factor infertility.
© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
Conflict of interest statement
Declarations. Ethics approval: Performed with NYU IRB approval #13–00389. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests.
References
-
- Pfeifer SM, Attaran M, Goldstein J, et al. ASRM müllerian anomalies classification 2021. Fertil Steril. 2021;116(5):1238–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2021.09.025 . - DOI - PubMed
-
- Lin PC, Bhatnagar KP, Nettleton GS, Nakajima ST. Female genital anomalies affecting reproduction. Fertil Steril. 2002;78(5):899–915. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0015-0282(02)03368-x . - DOI - PubMed
-
- Buttram VC, Gibbons WE. Müllerian anomalies: a proposed classification. (An analysis of 144 cases). Fertil Steril. 1979;32(1):40–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0015-0282(16)44114-2 . - DOI - PubMed
-
- The American Fertility Society classifications of adnexal adhesions. distal tubal occlusion, tubal occlusion secondary to tubal ligation, tubal pregnancies, Müllerian anomalies and intrauterine adhesions. Fertil Steril. 1988;49(6):944–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0015-0282(16)59942-7 . - DOI
-
- Chan YY, Jayaprakasan K, Zamora J, Thornton JG, Raine-Fenning N, Coomarasamy A. The prevalence of congenital uterine anomalies in unselected and high-risk populations: a systematic review. Hum Reprod Update. 2011;17(6):761. https://doi.org/10.1093/humupd/dmr028 . - DOI - PubMed - PMC
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
