New take on tubal transfers

The two standard procedures for in vitro fertilization involve transfer of the embryo to either the uterus or the fallopian tube. A national database published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has supported the long-held belief that tubal transfer has a higher pregnancy success rate although it is more invasive, expensive and prone to complications. An analysis directed by Steven F. Palter, M.D., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, of all previously published studies found that uterine transfers have just as great a likelihood of success as tubal transfers. Palter suggested that fertility clinics, which are required to publish their success rates, select which patients to accept or direct toward certain therapies based on their likelihood of success. That, he believes, skewed the database. His findings, presented at the American Society of Reproductive Medicine meeting, contradict statistics published by the CDC and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, he believes.