Comparing endometrial preparation methods in frozen embryo transfers - Does a previous live birth make a difference?

RESEARCH QUESTION: Does the outcome of a medicated or natural endometrial preparation for a frozen cycle differ if a patient has previously experienced a failed fresh cycle?

DESIGN: Retrospective matched case-controlled study to investigate frozen embryo transfer (FET) outcomes in women undergone medicated or natural endometrial preparation, with adjustment to the history of previous live birth. 878 frozen cycles were included for analysis, over a period of 2 years.

RESULTS: After adjusting for the number of embryos transferred, endometrial thickness and the number of previous embryo transfers, there was no difference in live birth rate (LBR) between medicated-FET and natural-FET groups regardless of the previous fertility outcome (p = 0.08).

CONCLUSIONS: A previous live birth does not affect the outcome of a subsequent frozen cycle, regardless of whether medicated- or natural endometrial preparation is used.