Impact of Body Mass Index on In Vitro Fertilization-Embryo Transfer Outcomes in Xinjiang, China

Background: To investigate the effect of body mass index (BMI) on the outcomes of in vitro fertilization–embryo transfer (IVF- ET) treatment, and to provide evidence for future clinical studies of infertile women with different body mass indices. Methods: The relationship between pregnancy outcome and BMI in 717 infertile women who underwent IVF- ET was analyzed. Results: A total of 531 out of 717 patients were classified as having a standard body weight, and 20 patients were classified as obese. We found a significant difference in the basal follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) level among the groups; the basal FSH level was lower in the obese group (6.80 ± 2.20 IU/L) than in the standard weight group (7.56 ± 2.25 IU/L). However, there were no significant differences in the age of females, the age of males, basal estradiol (E2) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels, length of infertility, and history of dysmenorrhea. Although the pregnancy rate was highest (54.6%) in the standard weight group and lowest (45.0%) in the obese group, there was no significant difference among these groups by Chi-square test analysis. Furthermore, there were no significant differences in gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist days, number of 2PN, and the LH level on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin treatment among the groups. Conclusions: Obese women can improve a successful pregnancy rate after undergoing IVF–ET treatment by controlling weight. Key words: Body Mass Index; In vitro Fertilization–Embryo Transfer; Xinjiang Area