Human Reproduction, Vol. 16, No. 7, 1415-1419, July 2001
© 2001 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology

Theocharis C. Papageorgiou1, Rhonda M. Hearns-Stokes1, Mark P. Leondires2, Bradley T. Miller2, Prabir Chakraborty3, David Cruess4 and James Segars1,5

1 Pediatric and Reproductive Endocrinology Branch, NICHD, Building 10, Room 9D42, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, 2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C., 3 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and 4 Department of Biometrics and Preventive Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, Maryland 20814-4799, USA.

BACKGROUND: Embryo transfer represents one of the most critical procedures in the practice of assisted reproduction. The objective of this study was to identify retrospectively the minimum number of embryo transfers required to train providers properly in this skill. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study group consisted of 204 patients who received embryo transfers between January 1996 and March 2000 in a university-based programme of assisted reproduction. The main outcome measure was clinical pregnancies per embryo transfer. Five Fellow trainees performed a total of 204 embryo transfers for an overall pregnancy rate of 45.5% per embryo transfer (93/204). In comparison, the programme pregnancy rate per transfer for experienced providers was 47.3% (560/1179). A chronological graph of each individual trainee's experience for the first 50 embryo transfers performed suggested a lower initial pregnancy rate for three of the five trainees. To determine whether a learning curve might exist, results of the first 25 transfers were compared as a subgroup with the second 25 transfers. Pregnancy rates were lower for the 1-25 transfer subgroup than in the 26-50 subgroup for three of the five Fellow trainees, although the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Clinical pregnancy rates of Fellows-in-training were indistinguishable statistically from those of experienced staff by 50 transfers.

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