Part of the process of in vitro fertilization involves the transfer of embryos conceived in a test tube to the woman's womb. Following embryo transfer, a woman may be confined to bed rest for 1 or 24 hours but with either one the pregnancy rate seems to be similar. Researchers from the Jordan University of Science and Technology in Irbid, Saudi Arabia, studied 378 women who were undergoing IVF and were randomly assigned to rest for either 1 or 24 hours following embryo transfer. As noted, no significant difference was seen between the groups in the clinical pregnancy rate. The 1-hour rest group had a rate of 21.5 percent, whereas the 24-hour rest group had a rate of 18.2 percent, the researchers found. In contrast, the implantation rate per embryo in the 1-hour rest group was 14.4 percent, considerably higher than the rate seen in the 24-hour rest group - 9 percent. Although bed rest has been advised since the first days of IVF, it is not a routine part of IVF treatment in most clinics and there is no scientific evidence to validate this practice, the researchers concluded.
BJOG,
November 2004
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