Improvement of Live Birth Rate Following Frozen-Thawed Blastocyst Transfer by Combination of Prednisolone Administration and Stimulation of Endometrium Embryo Transfer

The endometrial condition is a significant factor for successful pregnancy. To regulate endometrial function in fertility treatment, prednisolone (PSL) is administered for suppression of increased natural killer cells and stimulation of endometrium embryo transfer (SEET) to enhance communication between embryo and maternal tissues. We attempted to improve the endometrial condition by PSL administration and SEET during frozen–thawed blastocyst transfer (FBT). Patients took PSL (5 mg) 3 times daily for 3 days after ovulation during the FBT cycle. To analyse effects of PSL combined with SEET, we determined rates of chemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, foetal heart movement (FHM) and live birth. Rates of chemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy and FHM were significantly higher in the PSL(+)/SEET(+) (57.7%, 50.0% and 46.2%, respectively) and PSL(+)/SEET(−) (53.3%, 46.7% and 46.7%, respectively) groups than in the PSL(−)/SEET(+) (30.3%, 18.2% and 18.2%, respectively) and PSL(−)/SEET(−) (22.4%, 22.4% and 18.4%; P = 0.0043, 0.0081 and 0.0055, respectively) groups. The live birth rate was significantly higher in the PSL(+)/SEET(+) group than in the PSL(+)/SEET(−), PSL(−)/SEET(+) and PSL(−)/SEET(−) groups (42.3%, 26.7%, 18.2% and 12.2%, respectively; P = 0.0237). PSL combined with SEET may be a useful adjunct to assisted reproductive technology in women who repeatedly fail to conceive by infertility treatment.