Clinical trial NCT05701072: Development of a Screening Tool for Difficult Embryo Transfers
Official title: Development of a Screening Tool for Difficult Embryo Transfers
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Infertility
Keywords: infertility
embryo transfer
Lead sponsor: ART Fertility Clinics LLC
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2023-01-27
Enrollment: 200
Sex: FEMALE
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Observational model: OTHER
Time perspective: PROSPECTIVE
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: All women undergoing an ET in ART Fertility Clinics Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Brief summary: This study aims to investigate the accuracy of a proposed screening tool in identifying difficult embryo transfers (ETs) without doing a mock ET.

Detailed description: So far there has never been a screening tool to identify difficult ETs without doing a mock ET. This is a prospective, longitudinal study including at least 200 ETs. All women undergo a speculum examination at the time of transvaginal oocyte pick-up (OPU), the screening questionnaire will be filled by the Physician doing the OPU procedure. On the day of real ET, the Physician doing the ET will be blinded for the screening result, and fill a second questionnaire after the ET. Combined with the Embryologist recorded parameters, this second questionnaire will be used to categorize ETs as difficult or normal. Participants will NOT undergo any procedures beyond their routine treatment. Once the targeted number of participants are recruited, the questionnaires will be matched to see the accuracy of the screening questionnaire to identify difficult ETs.

Identification of difficult ETs with a non-invasive, free of cost questionnaire can enable selective mock transfers and facilitate the real ET for patients, who would otherwise be only recognized on the day of real ET, after their embryos have been already thawed for transfer.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* All women undergoing an ET is eligible.

Exclusion Criteria:

* No exclusion criteria, women can participate with multiple ET procedures.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Prevalence of difficult ET
timeFrame: Approximately 4 months
measure: Percentage of screening questionnaires suggesting a difficult ET
timeFrame: Approximately 4 months
measure: Accuracy of the screening tool to predict difficult ET
timeFrame: Approximately 4 months
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Abu Dhabi
country: United Arab Emirates
facility: ART Fertility Clinics LLC
city: Dubai
country: United Arab Emirates
facility: ART Fertility Clinics LLC
Study officials:
affiliation: ART Fertility Clinics LLC
name: Barbara Lawrenz, PhD
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
References:
citation: Cirillo F, Patrizio P, Baccini M, Morenghi E, Ronchetti C, Cafaro L, Zannoni E, Baggiani A, Levi-Setti PE. The human factor: does the operator performing the embryo transfer significantly impact the cycle outcome? Hum Reprod. 2020 Feb 29;35(2):275-282. doi: 10.1093/humrep/dez290.
citation: Dessolle L, Freour T, Barriere P, Jean M, Ravel C, Darai E, Biau DJ. How soon can I be proficient in embryo transfer? Lessons from the cumulative summation test for learning curve (LC-CUSUM). Hum Reprod. 2010 Feb;25(2):380-6. doi: 10.1093/humrep/dep391. Epub 2009 Nov 18.
citation: Lopez MJ, Garcia D, Rodriguez A, Colodron M, Vassena R, Vernaeve V. Individualized embryo transfer training: timing and performance. Hum Reprod. 2014 Jul;29(7):1432-7. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deu080. Epub 2014 Apr 29.
citation: Noyes N, Licciardi F, Grifo J, Krey L, Berkeley A. In vitro fertilization outcome relative to embryo transfer difficulty: a novel approach to the forbidding cervix. Fertil Steril. 1999 Aug;72(2):261-5. doi: 10.1016/s0015-0282(99)00235-6.
citation: Kably Ambe A, Campos Canas JA, Aguirre Ramos G, Carballo Mondragon E, Carrera Lomas E, Ortiz Reyes H, Kisel Laska R. [Evaluation of two transfer embryo systems performed by six physicians]. Ginecol Obstet Mex. 2011 Apr;79(4):196-9. Spanish.
citation: Wood MA, Kerrigan KL, Burns MK, Glenn TL, Ludwin A, Christianson MS, Bhagavath B, Lindheim SR. Overcoming the Challenging Cervix: Identification and Techniques to Access the Uterine Cavity. Obstet Gynecol Surv. 2018 Nov;73(11):641-649. doi: 10.1097/OGX.0000000000000614.