Effect of Endometrial Biopsy on in Vitro Fertilization Pregnancy Rates - a Multicenter Study

Animal and clinical studies have suggested that local tissue trauma can promote the process of an embryo implanting in the uterine cavity. The clinical studies have been performed in patients with a history of previously failed treatments using in vitro fertilization; a process of stimulating many eggs from a women and removing them from the body, to allow fertilisation with sperm to occur in a laboratory setting. The embryos are then replaced into the uterine cavity. This study questions whether endometrial biopsy (placing a small straw like catheter through the cervix and into the uterine cavity to take a sample of tissue via suction into the bore of the catheter), within 5-10 days of starting a cycle of in vitro fertilization, will improve pregnancy outcome for patients in the first or second cycle of treatment. The hypothesis is that endometrial biopsy will improve pregnancy outcome. The study is a randomized multicentre study involving 3 Canadian fertility centres.