Hou Jin-Wei, Yuan Li-Hua, Cao Xian-Ling, Song Jing-Yan, Sun Zhen-Gao
The First Clinical College, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China.
Reproductive and Genetic Center of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China.
Contracept Reprod Med. 2023 Mar 2;8(1):19. doi: 10.1186/s40834-023-00218-y.
Exposure of the female reproductive tract to either seminal plasma or fluid component of the ejaculate is beneficial to achieving successful embryo implantation and normal embryo development. But whether the "physical" component of sexual intercourse during the peri-transfer period have any influence on frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) pregnancy outcomes is not clear.
We conducted a randomized trial that included 223 patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment at a university-affiliated reproductive center from 19 July 2018 to 24 February 2019. Enrolled patients undergoing IVF treatment were randomized either to engage sexual intercourse using the barrier contraception (Group A, n = 116) or to abstain (Group B, n = 107) one night before FET. The primary outcome was clinical pregnancy rate.
Patients having intercourse had higher clinical pregnancy rate (51.72% vs. 37.07%, P = 0.045) and implantation rate (38.31% vs. 24.77%, P = 0.005) compared to those did not engage intercourse. However, there was no significant difference of the spontaneous abortion rate between two groups (11.67% 33 vs. 14.63%, P = 0.662).
Sexual intercourse before embryo transfer may improve the clinical pregnancy and implantation rates during FET cycles. However, it should be noted that patients choose only one time for sexual intercourse, that is, the night before embryo transfer.
The present study was registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ( http://www.chictr.org.cn/ , ChiCTR1800017209).
女性生殖道接触精液的精浆或射精的液体成分有利于成功实现胚胎着床和正常胚胎发育。但在胚胎移植前后阶段，性交的“物理”成分对冻融胚胎移植（FET）妊娠结局是否有任何影响尚不清楚。
我们进行了一项随机试验，纳入了2018年7月19日至2019年2月24日在一所大学附属生殖中心接受体外受精（IVF）治疗的223例患者。纳入的接受IVF治疗的患者被随机分为两组，一组在FET前一晚使用屏障避孕法进行性交（A组，n = 116），另一组 abstain（B组，n = 107）。主要结局是临床妊娠率。
与未进行性交的患者相比，进行性交的患者临床妊娠率更高（51.72% 对37.07%，P = 0.045），着床率更高（38.31% 对24.77%，P = 0.005）。然而，两组间自然流产率无显著差异（11.67%对14.63%，P = 0.662）。
胚胎移植前进行性交可能会提高FET周期的临床妊娠率和着床率。然而，需要注意的是，患者仅选择一次性交，即胚胎移植前一晚。
本研究在中国临床试验注册中心注册（http://www.chictr.org.cn/，ChiCTR1800017209）。
