Impact of Caesarean section on pregnancy outcomes in ART after transfer of one or more frozen blastocysts

Marie-Sophie David; Emmanuelle Vintejoux; Florentin Kucharczak; Sophie Brouillet; Nathalie Rougier; Stéphanie Huberlant

doi:10.1016/j.jogoh.2023.102692

Impact of Caesarean section on pregnancy outcomes in ART after transfer of one or more frozen blastocysts

J Gynecol Obstet Hum Reprod. 2024 Jan;53(1):102692. doi: 10.1016/j.jogoh.2023.102692. Epub 2023 Nov 17.

Authors

Marie-Sophie David¹, Emmanuelle Vintejoux², Florentin Kucharczak³, Sophie Brouillet⁴, Nathalie Rougier⁵, Stéphanie Huberlant⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of reproductive medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, CHU Arnaud de Villeneuve, 371 avenue du Doyen Gaston Giraud, Montpellier, France; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, CHU Nîmes, University of Montpellier, Nîmes, France.
² Department of reproductive medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, CHU Arnaud de Villeneuve, 371 avenue du Doyen Gaston Giraud, Montpellier, France.
³ Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Public Health and Innovation in Methodology (BESPIM), CHU Nîmes, University of Montpellier, Nîmes, France.
⁴ Laboratory of Medically Assisted Reproduction, CHU Arnaud de Villeneuve, 371 avenue du Doyen Gaston Giraud, Montpellier, France.
⁵ Laboratory of Medically Assisted Reproduction, CHU Nîmes, University of Montpellier, Nîmes, France.
⁶ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, CHU Nîmes, University of Montpellier, Nîmes, France; University of Nîmes-Montpellier, France. Electronic address: Stephanie.huberlant@chu-nimes.fr.

PMID: 37979690
DOI: 10.1016/j.jogoh.2023.102692

Abstract

Introduction: The prevalence of Caesarean delivery is rising steadily worldwide, and it is important to identify its future impact on fertility. A number of articles have been published on this subject, but the impact of Caesarean section on reproductive outcomes is still under debate, and none of these articles focus exclusively on frozen blastocysts.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a previous Caesarean delivery compared with a previous vaginal delivery on the chances of a live birth following the transfer of one or more frozen embryos at the blastocyst stage.

Methods: This was a retrospective, bicentric study at the University Hospitals of Nîmes and Montpellier, conducted between January 1st, 2016 and February 1st, 2021. Three hundred and ninety women with a history of childbirth and a transfer of one or more frozen embryos at blastocyst stage were included in the analysis. The primary outcome was the number of live births. Secondary outcomes were: the rate of positive HCG, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy and clinical pregnancy, as well as the live birth rate according to the presence or absence of an isthmocele.

Results: Of the 390 patients included, 118 had a previous Caesarean delivery and 272 a vaginal delivery. No statistically significant differences were found for the primary (p = 0.9) or secondary outcomes. A trend towards lower live birth rates was observed in patients with isthmoceles, but this did not reach significance (p>0.9). On the other hand, transfers were more often described as difficult in the Caesarean delivery group (p = 0.011).

Conclusion: Our study found no effect of previous Caesarean delivery on the chances of live birth after transferring one or more frozen blastocysts. However, further prospective studies are needed to confirm these results.

Keywords: Blastocyst; Caesarean delivery; Caesarean scar; Cesarean section; Embryo transfer; IVF; Isthmocele; Live birth rate.

MeSH terms

Blastocyst
Cesarean Section*
Embryo Transfer / methods
Female
Humans
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Outcome* / epidemiology
Pregnancy Rate
Retrospective Studies