A sexual abstinence period (SAP) lasting for 2-7 days is recommended before undertaking semen analyses. However, there is no consensus regarding the length of the SAP for couples using assisted reproductive technology (ART). Therefore, a meta-analysis was performed to compare the effect of short SAPs (less than 4 days) and long SAPs (4-7 days) on the clinical outcomes of fresh embryo transfer cycles after ART. A total of four studies were included in the meta-analysis. Although the fertilization rate in short SAP couples was higher than that in long SAP couples, a pooled analysis demonstrated that it was not statistically significant (p = .09). The implantation rate was, however, significantly higher in short SAP couples (p = .0001). The pooled analysis revealed that the pregnancy rate was significantly higher in short SAP couples than that in long SAP couples. The overall odds ratio (OR) for the pregnancy rate was 1.44 (p = .0006). No significant difference in miscarriage rates between the short and long SAP couples was found (p = .88). The meta-analysis indicates that a shorter abstinence period could result in higher implantation and pregnancy rates for patients undertaking ART treatments.
Keywords: ART; Sexual abstinence period; clinical outcomes; meta-analysis.