The transfer point is a novel measure of embryo placement

OBJECTIVE: To study the relationship between IVF-ET pregnancy outcomes and measures of embryo placement. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: Tertiary care center. PATIENT(S): Twenty-three patients who underwent two ultrasonography-guided ETs, of which one resulted in a clinical pregnancy and the other did not. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Point of embryo placement normalized to the endometrial cavity length (the transfer point), distance from the point of embryo placement to the uterine fundus, time required for ET, contact with the uterine fundus, and evidence of trauma. Videotaped ETs were quantitatively analyzed. RESULT(S): From February 1, 2000, to March 31, 2001, videotaped ETs from 23 pairs of pregnant and nonpregnant cycles were identified. Embryo placement was more shallow in pregnancy cycles than in nonpregnancy cycles. The groups did not differ in the absolute distance of embryo placement to the fundus, ovarian stimulation, or other features of the ET. CONCLUSION(S): The transfer point may serve as a better marker of embryo position than does the absolute distance to the uterine fundus.