Pathologic findings in hysteroscopy before in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET).

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate hysteroscopy routinely performed prior to in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET).

Methods: We analyzed in a prospective study 300 patients who underwent hysteroscopy before the first IVF-ET cycle. We analyzed then in a retrospective manner 300 patients who did not perform hysteroscopy.

Results: One-hundred-and-eighty (60%) hysteroscopies were normal but 120 (40%) revealed an unsuspected intrauterine abnormality. We did not find statistically significant differences between patients with normal or abnormal hysteroscopy in any characteristic. We found a statistically significant difference in pregnancy rate between women who performed hysteroscopy before IVF-ET cycle and in women who did not perform it.

Conclusions: Hysteroscopy, as a routine examination, should be performed before the first IVF-ET cycle in all patients.