The choice of embryo transfer catheter affects embryo implantation after IVF

Abstract Objective: Comparison of two transfer catheters in an IVF program. Design: Prospective, randomized clinical study. Setting: A private tertiary care center for ART. Patient(s): 66 patients Intervention(s): Patients were randomly assigned to undergo ET using the Tomcat catheter (n = 32) or the TDT catheter (n = 34). Main Outcome Measure(s): Primary outcome measures were implantation and pregnancy rates. Secondary outcome measures were contamination with blood and/or mucus on the tip of the catheter, cramping or patient discomfort, and time required to complete ET. Result(s): Use of the Tomcat catheter resulted in significantly higher implantation (25.2% vs. 8.4%) and clinical pregnancy rates (47% vs. 14.7%) compared with the TDT catheter. All secondary outcome measures were similar for both catheters. Conclusion(s): The choice of ET catheter may affect the success of IVF-ET cycles. Use of the Tomcat catheter compared with the TDT catheter seems to result in significantly better efficiency of the ET procedure and is more cost effective.