Aim: To explore if first-trimester uterine artery Doppler velocimetric values might predict adverse perinatal outcomes in patients conceiving via in vitro fertilization (IVF).
Methods: We evaluated pregnancies in women who conceived via IVF (Group 1, n = 62) and compared these subjects to a control group (spontaneous pregnancies; Group 2, n = 53) in terms of first-trimester uterine artery Doppler velocimetric data. We explored whether these data predicted adverse perinatal outcomes (need for cesarean delivery, preterm birth, low birth weight, lower APGAR score, and need for referral to a neonatal intensive care unit [NICU]).
Results: The mean age of Group 1 patients was 29.9 ± 4.7 years and that of Group 2 was 27.2 ± 4.2 years. Gestational age at birth, first-minute APGAR scores, NICU referral rate, birth weight, preterm birth rate, abortion rate, delivery type, the left-side uterine arterial systole-diastole ratio (LUASD), the left-side uterine arterial resistance index (LUARI), the right-side uterine arterial systole-diastole ratio (RUASD), and the right-side uterine arterial resistance index (RUARI) differed significantly between the two groups (all p values < 0.05). In the study group, positive correlations were evident between LUASD, LUARI, RUASD, and RUARI, preterm birth rates, and NICU referral rates. Also, birth weight correlated negatively with LUASD, LUARI, RUASD, and RUARI in the study group.
Conclusions: First-trimester uterine artery Doppler velocimetric indices, including the resistance index and systole-diastole ratio, usefully predict adverse perinatal outcomes of IVF pregnancies.
Keywords: Adverse perinatal outcomes; Doppler indices; IVF pregnancy.