GIFT or IVF for patients with patent fallopian tubes?

Abstract

The pregnancy rate in a group of 39 couples who underwent in vitro fertilization (IVF) with donor sperm was compared with that of couples undergoing gamete intra-Fallopian transfer (GIFT) over the same period (31 December 1986 to 30 June 1991). The diagnostic status of the female partners in each group was qualitatively similar. The women had patent Fallopian tubes, mild endometriosis or minor tubal adhesions. The male partners in the GIFT group had normal or marginally abnormal semen parameters which were considered to be comparable to the post-thaw quality of the semen used in donor insemination (DI). The mean age of the women in the DI group was 32 years (range 25-40) which was similar to that in the GIFT group [32 years (24-39)]. The women in the IVF group had undergone a mean of eight cycles of DI before proceeding to treatment with IVF. There was no difference between the pregnancy rate in the two groups (log-rank test). These observations advance the proposition that IVF should be reconsidered as an effective treatment for women with patent Fallopian tubes.