Objective: To compare the cumulative pregnancy rates after gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) with the cumulative spontaneous pregnancy rates in couples with unexplained infertility.
Design: A contemporaneous study in a single group of patients.
Setting: Northern Regional Fertility Centre.
Subjects: 76 couples with unexplained infertility of more than 3 years duration.
Interventions: Successful pregnancies were recorded during at least 3 months before GIFT and up to 21 months after a maximum of three cycles of GIFT treatment.
Main outcome measures: Pregnancy resulting in a live birth.
Results: Average monthly fecundability without treatment was 0.021 and after GIFT was 0.14 (P less than 0.001). This was reflected as a cumulative pregnancy rate of 52% after three cycles of GIFT and 30% after 24 months without treatment.
Conclusions: The chance of having a baby after one cycle of GIFT is significantly greater than the chance in a spontaneous cycle. However, considering the cumulative pregnancy rates, we suggest that if GIFT is to be a realistic treatment option, it should be offered for more than one cycle.