The long-term outcome of 946 consecutive couples visiting a fertility clinic in 2001-2003

Objective: To describe the outcome of fertility work-up, treatment, and dropout in a cohort of subfertile couples in a well-defined area in Western Europe. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Maastricht University Medical Center. Patient(s): Subfertile couples referred by their general physician between 2001 and 2003. Intervention(s): Demographic data, findings of the fertility investigation, and outcome of treatment were entered prospectively into a database. Follow-up was performed until November 2008. Main Outcome Measure(s): Diagnosis, treatment, dropout rate, pregnancy rate, and live-birth rate. Result(s): During the study period, 946 couples were referred, of whom 17% dropped out. Follow-up was complete in 94% of couples. Spontaneous pregnancies occurred in 28% of all couples, and there were 32% treatment-dependent pregnancies. IVF (51% live births in couples treated) and no treatment/expectant management (50%) were the most effective treatments. Conclusion(s): After 5-8 years, 51% of couples referred for subfertility had at least one live birth. (Fertil Steril (R) 2011;96:160-4. (C)2011 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.)