Patient dropout in assisted reproductive technology program: implications for pregnancy rates

Objective: To study patient dropout and its impact on crude and cumulative pregnancy rates (PRs) after assisted reproductive technology (ART). Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: University hospital-based tertiary care fertility clinic. Patient(s): Two hundred two couples applying for their first ART treatment cycle. Main Outcome Measure(s): Drop-out rate and PR per cycle, cumulative drop-out rate and cumulative PR. Result(s): After three treatment cycles, the cumulative drop-out rate was 126 of 202 (62.4%); 13.9% (n = 28) was due to active censoring. Active censoring was shown to flatter cumulative PRs by life-table analysis. Conclusion: Dropout from ART is high, even when ART costs are covered by health cost insurance. Life-table analysis overestimates cumulative PRs in ART. (C) 1997 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.