Bed rest after embryo transfer negatively affects in vitro fertilization: a randomized controlled clinical trial

Objective: To evaluate the influence of 10 minutes of bed rest after ET on the achievement of a live-born infant (LBI) in patients undergoing IVF treatment with oocyte donation (OD).

Design: Prospective, randomized, parallel assignment, controlled trial.

Setting: Private IVF center.

Patient(s): A total of 240 patients undergoing a first IVF cycle with OD in our center.

Intervention(s): Ten minutes of bed rest after ET or no bed rest, that is, allowing patients to ambulate immediately after the ET.

Main outcome measure(s): The primary outcome was LBI rate per randomized patient. Secondary outcomes were implantation rate and biochemical and clinical miscarriage rates.

Result(s): LBI rates (56.7% vs. 41.6%) were observed to be significantly higher in the no rest (NR) group than in the rest (R) group. And lower miscarriage rates (18.3% vs. 27.5%) were shown in the NR when compared with the R group, but the difference did not reach statistical significance. Neonatal characteristics like height, weight, and Apgar score were similar in both the groups. Comparable implantation rates were obtained with or without BR after ET.

Conclusion(s): The statistically significant higher LBI rate shown in our NR group confirms that 10 minutes of bed rest immediately after ET has no positive effect and in fact can be negative for the outcome of IVF with OD. The anatomical/physiological or psychological reasons for this should be explored in future research.

Clinical trial registration number: NCT01343992.