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Why do couples drop-out from IVF treatment? A prospective cohort study

Why do couples drop-out from IVF treatment? A prospective cohort study
Why do couples drop-out from IVF treatment? A prospective cohort study
Background: Cumulative IVF pregnancy rates are compromised by the large number of couples who drop-out of treatment before achieving pregnancy. The aim of this study was to identify the role of the treatment strategy applied, and potential other factors that influence the decision of couples to discontinue treatment.
Methods: The incidence of drop-out from IVF treatment and factors related to drop-out were studied in a cohort of IVF patients aged <38 years embarking on IVF treatment either with a mild or a standard treatment strategy for a planned maximum number of treatment cycles.
Results: Of the 384 couples studied, 17% dropped out of IVF treatment. The physical or psychological burden of treatment was the most frequent cause of drop-out (28%). The application of a mild treatment strategy (mild ovarian stimulation along with the transfer of a single embryo) significantly reduced the chance of drop-out (hazard ratio (HR) 0.55; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.31-0.96). When a mild IVF strategy was employed, the association between the baseline anxiety score and drop-out was reduced by >50%. The presence of severe male subfertility (HR 4.80; 95% CI, 1.63-14.13) and the failure to achieve embryo transfer (odds ratio 0.41; 95% CI, 0.24-0.72) were also related to drop-out.
Conclusions: Reducing drop-out rate is crucial to further improve the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of IVF treatment. An important factor determining the risk of drop-out is the burden of the treatment strategy. The application of a mild treatment strategy and managing patient's expectations might reduce drop-out rates.
drop-out, discontinuation, IVF, mild ovarian stimulation, stress
2050-2055
Verberg, M.F.
34900182-a716-4997-8218-c6a15712aeca
Eijkemans, M.J.
7a7d87b5-76e0-48b3-85f1-bc0f56942134
Heijnen, E.M.
e95569e1-8b98-499b-b7cb-22a5345a0847
Broekmans, F.J.
17ce14de-42f9-43cb-98be-194dc9430888
de Klerk, C.
88ccdcb8-6b69-4c43-9d76-b89aef5ff3b4
Fauser, B.C.
a74bd2e3-1d5e-43c1-a6e8-c67c4973f484
Macklon, N.S.
7db1f4fc-a9f6-431f-a1f2-297bb8c9fb7e
Verberg, M.F.
34900182-a716-4997-8218-c6a15712aeca
Eijkemans, M.J.
7a7d87b5-76e0-48b3-85f1-bc0f56942134
Heijnen, E.M.
e95569e1-8b98-499b-b7cb-22a5345a0847
Broekmans, F.J.
17ce14de-42f9-43cb-98be-194dc9430888
de Klerk, C.
88ccdcb8-6b69-4c43-9d76-b89aef5ff3b4
Fauser, B.C.
a74bd2e3-1d5e-43c1-a6e8-c67c4973f484
Macklon, N.S.
7db1f4fc-a9f6-431f-a1f2-297bb8c9fb7e

Verberg, M.F., Eijkemans, M.J., Heijnen, E.M., Broekmans, F.J., de Klerk, C., Fauser, B.C. and Macklon, N.S. (2008) Why do couples drop-out from IVF treatment? A prospective cohort study. Human Reproduction, 23 (9), 2050-2055. (doi:10.1093/humrep/den219).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background: Cumulative IVF pregnancy rates are compromised by the large number of couples who drop-out of treatment before achieving pregnancy. The aim of this study was to identify the role of the treatment strategy applied, and potential other factors that influence the decision of couples to discontinue treatment.
Methods: The incidence of drop-out from IVF treatment and factors related to drop-out were studied in a cohort of IVF patients aged <38 years embarking on IVF treatment either with a mild or a standard treatment strategy for a planned maximum number of treatment cycles.
Results: Of the 384 couples studied, 17% dropped out of IVF treatment. The physical or psychological burden of treatment was the most frequent cause of drop-out (28%). The application of a mild treatment strategy (mild ovarian stimulation along with the transfer of a single embryo) significantly reduced the chance of drop-out (hazard ratio (HR) 0.55; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.31-0.96). When a mild IVF strategy was employed, the association between the baseline anxiety score and drop-out was reduced by >50%. The presence of severe male subfertility (HR 4.80; 95% CI, 1.63-14.13) and the failure to achieve embryo transfer (odds ratio 0.41; 95% CI, 0.24-0.72) were also related to drop-out.
Conclusions: Reducing drop-out rate is crucial to further improve the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of IVF treatment. An important factor determining the risk of drop-out is the burden of the treatment strategy. The application of a mild treatment strategy and managing patient's expectations might reduce drop-out rates.

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More information

Published date: September 2008
Keywords: drop-out, discontinuation, IVF, mild ovarian stimulation, stress

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 76218
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/76218
PURE UUID: 567e10c8-53b3-4c9c-adfe-16019ec5a337

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Date deposited: 15 Mar 2010
Last modified: 13 Mar 2024 23:10

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Contributors

Author: M.F. Verberg
Author: M.J. Eijkemans
Author: E.M. Heijnen
Author: F.J. Broekmans
Author: C. de Klerk
Author: B.C. Fauser
Author: N.S. Macklon

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