Maternal and Neonatal Perinatal Outcomes of Singleton Pregnancies in Advanced-Age Women Undergoing IVF/ICSI-ET Compared with Spontaneous Conception: A Retrospective Propensity Score Matched Cohort Study

Abstract

Jingxia Mao,1,2,* Guibo Yang,1,3,* Qin Su,1,4,* Zhonghong Zeng,1 Jueying Lin,2 Lin Kong,3 Lidun Zhang,4 Lidan Liu,1 Yihua Yang,1 Hongbo Wu1 1Guangxi Reproductive Medical Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Obstetrics, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Obstetrics, The Maternity and Child Health Care of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Obstetrics, The First People’s Hospital of Yulin, Yulin, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Hongbo Wu; Yihua Yang, Guangxi Reproductive Medical Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: To assess the safety and efficiency of in vitro fertilization/ intracytoplasmic sperm injection and embryo transfer (IVF/ICSI-ET) on maternal and neonatal perinatal outcomes in women (≥ 40y) with singleton pregnancies.Methods: This multi-center retrospective cohort study, carried out from January 2018 to June 2023, enrolled 1762 women (≥ 40y) with singleton pregnancies of at least 28 weeks. Participants were divided into two groups: the IVF/ICSI-ET group (204 cases) and the spontaneous conception (SC) group (1558 cases). After 1:2 propensity score matching (PSM), the two groups were compared for maternal and neonatal outcomes. The SC group (1558 cases) was further divided by age into the < 43 years group (1195 cases) and the ≥ 43 years group (363 cases) for subgroup analysis.Results: Adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes were comparable between the IVF/ICSI-ET group and the SC group, with a higher cesarean section rate (78% vs 67.5%, P =0.013), an increased maternal ICU admissions rate (5.5% vs 1.3%, P =0.008), and a lower birth defects rate (1.1% vs 4.6%, P =0.037) in the IVF/ICSI-ET group. Subgroup analysis showed that women aged ≥ 43 years had higher incidences of gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, cesarean section, and neonatal asphyxia compared to women aged < 43 years.Conclusion: This study indicated IVF/ICSI-ET is relatively safe for women ≥ 40 years with singleton pregnancies. However, advanced maternal age deteriorated maternal and neonatal outcomes, and IVF/ICSI-ET further heightened the risk of cesarean section and maternal ICU admissions. Therefore, enhanced care and vigilance are crucial for women over 40 undergoing IVF/ICSI-ET.Keywords: in-vitro fertilization, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, advanced maternal age, maternal outcomes, neonatal outcomes

Keywords

• in-vitro fertilization
• intracytoplasmic sperm injection
• advanced maternal age
• maternal outcomes
• neonatal outcomes