Time to next pregnancy in spontaneous pregnancies versus treatment cycles in fertile patients with recurrent pregnancy loss

BACKGROUND: The current standard of care for management of patients with recurrent pregnancy loss is expectant management. However, the emotional impact of pregnancy losses and the urgency to conceive often leads couples to consider a variety of fertility treatments. The objective of this study is to report the time to next pregnancy and subsequent live birth and miscarriage rates in fertile patients with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) who choose to attempt spontaneous conception compared to those that opt to pursue fertility treatment. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of one hundred and fifty-eight fertile RPL patients treated at a university-based fertility center. Patients were followed for a minimum of 6 months. Patients were encouraged to attempt spontaneous conception, but allowed to initiate fertility treatments (ovarian stimulation, insemination, IVF or PGS) according to their preferences. Main outcome measures were time to next pregnancy and pregnancy outcome. RESULTS: For those patients who achieved a spontaneous conception, 88% conceived within 6 months, with a median time of 2 months and range of 1–10 months. Patients using IUI, IVF and PGS conceived in a median of 3, 4 and 5 months, respectively. The live birth rate and clinical miscarriage rate was not improved with any fertility treatment. CONCLUSIONS: In the fertile RPL patient population, there does not appear to be a benefit to proceeding directly with fertility treatment. Patients should be encouraged to attempt spontaneous conception for at least 6 months. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/2054-7099-1-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.