Live birth success rate of pregnancies conceived through assisted reproductive technology: A descriptive study from a sub-Saharan setting.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the live birth and preterm birth outcomes of pregnant women who conceived through assisted reproductive technology (ART) at a public in vitro fertilization (IVF) center in Ethiopia.

METHODS

This descriptive study on pregnancy outcomes of women who conceived through ART (IVF and embryo transfer, IVF/intracytoplasmic sperm injection, and intrauterine insemination) was conducted at St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College, in Ethiopia. We retrospectively analyzed the live birth rate, preterm birth rate, and other perinatal and maternal outcomes of women who conceived after ART at a public IVF center during 4 years (between 2019 and 2023) in St. Paul's Hospital. Patients who had IVF at this center between 2018 and 2020 were included in the study. Data were collected retrospectively in a structured questionnaire and analyzed and simple descriptive statistics were employed. Frequency and percentage were used to present the results.

RESULTS

From the 127 women included in the final analysis, the majority (101 of 127, 79.5%) were aged 35 years and younger, followed by another 21.3% (27 of 127) who were in the age category 36-40 years. The live birth rate was 93.7% (119 of 127). The preterm birth (<37 weeks of gestation) rate was 15.7% (20 of 127) but the majority (18 of 20, 90%) were at a gestational age ≥34 weeks, with only two (1.6%) patients having preterm birth at <34 weeks. Pre-eclampsia occurred in 12 women, constituting 9.45% of patients.

CONCLUSION

The live birth rate of 93.7% observed in this study is high and comparable to rates reported in high-income countries. However, the incidence of perinatal complications remains elevated. These findings can be used to inform couple counseling and support performance improvement initiatives at the fertility center.