Home-Based Ovulation Monitoring Feasible for Timing Frozen-Thawed Embryo Transfer

THURSDAY, Sept. 14, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Home-based monitoring of ovulation is noninferior to hospital-controlled monitoring to time frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) for pregnancy, according to a study published online Sept. 4 in The Lancet.

Tjitske Zaat, M.D., from the University of Amsterdam, and colleagues compared ongoing pregnancy rates after home-based monitoring versus hospital-controlled monitoring with ovulation triggering. The analysis included 1,464 women (aged 18 to 44 years) with a regular ovulatory menstrual cycle who were randomly assigned (1:1) to home-based monitoring or hospital-controlled monitoring.

The researchers found that ongoing pregnancy occurred in 20.8 percent of individuals in the home-based monitoring group and in 20.9 percent in the hospital-controlled monitoring group (risk ratio [RR], 0.99; 90 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.81 to 1.22; risk difference [RD], –0.14; 90 percent CI, –3.63 to 3.36). Predetermined noninferiority was achieved (RR, 1.00; 90 percent CI, 0.81 to 1.23; RD, –0.08; 90 percent CI, –3.60 to 3.44).

"Monitoring ovulation at home means a hospital visit once for the placement of these embryos instead of three to four times for hospital monitoring," Zaat said in a statement. "This is more sustainable and reduces the cost of treatment by up to 80 percent."

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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