Long-term cumulative pregnancy rate in women with unexplained infertility after laparoscopic surgery followed by in vitro fertilization or in vitro fertilization alone

Aims: Laparoscopy has been performed in women with unexplained infertility, but the recent trend is to commence in vitro fertilization (IVF) without prior laparoscopy. The aim of this study was to determine whether or not laparoscopic surgery is necessary for these patients. Material & Methods: With a diagnosis of unexplained infertility, 51 women underwent laparoscopic surgery followed by IVF (laparoscopy group) and 41 women underwent IVF without prior laparoscopy (IVF group). We reviewed these two groups retrospectively and evaluated the cumulative pregnancy rate. Results: In the laparoscopy group, 16 of the 51 women became pregnant spontaneously soon after surgery. Twenty-three patients became pregnant with IVF. In the IVF group, 32 patients became pregnant with IVF. Two of the 41 women became pregnant spontaneously while waiting to commence IVF. Conclusion: Laparoscopy should be offered as an option for younger patients who desire spontaneous pregnancy because there was no significant difference of the cumulative pregnancy rate between the groups.