| Abstract: | PROBLEM: This study reviews one practitioner's experience with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) therapy in the in-vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles of 30 patients with previous IVF failures. METHOD OF STUDY: Thirty patients had undergone 82 prior assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles (mean 3.9 +/- 2 failed ART cycles, median 3.0, range 1-8) yielding one term birth, one loss at 22.5 weeks, and five chemical pregnancies. These patients underwent comprehensive clinical and laboratory evaluation, including immunologic workup, and were accepted for IVIg therapy in their next IVF cycle. RESULTS: A total of 40 cycles were treated. Twenty-four (60%) of the IVIg-treated IVF cycles showed a positive human chorionic gonadotropin test. Comparing the IVIg cycles to the untreated ART cycles, there were no differences in the number of embryos transferred, fertilized embryos, or eggs. Eighty-six percent of the cases with confirmed implantation delivered; there was one chemical pregnancy, one 20-week spontaneous fetal death, and one trisomy. Five (24%) of the 21 pregnant patients delivered at 30-36 weeks. The remaining 13 delivered at term. Only three (11%) had no positive immune test. CONCLUSION: In what may be a selected population of IVF patients (with high incidence of abnormal immune testing), early IVIg therapy may be associated with the improved success of IVF, and the high rate of live birth. |
