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A comparison of heterotopic and intrauterine-only pregnancy outcomes after assisted reproductive technologies in the United States from 1999 to 2002.

Clayton HB, Schieve LA, Peterson HB, Jamieson DJ, Reynolds MA, Wright VC

Division of Reproductive Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30341, USA.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the risk for adverse outcomes of pregnancies between heterotopic (defined as a simultaneous intrauterine and ectopic pregnancy) and intrauterine-only pregnancies achieved through assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs). DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: ART centers in the United States. PATIENT(S): Patients were studied in terms of cycles reported to the population-based United States ART Registry, which included 207 heterotopic and 132,660 intrauterine-only pregnancies reported from 1999 to 2002. INTERVENTION(S): None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Outcomes of heterotopic and intrauterine-only pregnancies and deliveries (spontaneous abortion, induced abortion, still birth, and live birth). Perinatal outcomes (preterm, low birth weight [LBW], preterm LBW, and term LBW) for live-birth deliveries were also assessed. RESULT(S): Heterotopic pregnancies were more likely to end in spontaneous (relative risk = 2.05; 95% confidence interval, 1.67-2.51) or induced (relative risk = 10.28, 95% confidence interval, 6.76-15.65) abortions than were intrauterine-only pregnancies. There was no significant difference in perinatal outcomes studied, regardless of adjustment for maternal age, infertility diagnosis, previous live births, and type of ART procedure. CONCLUSION(S): Heterotopic pregnancies were more likely to result in spontaneous or induced abortions than were intrauterine-only pregnancies. There was no difference in perinatal outcomes between heterotopic and intrauterine-only pregnancies progressing to live birth.

Published 5 February 2007 in Fertil Steril, 87(2): 303-9.
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