OBJECTIVE: Present study was designed to evaluate the possible differences in obstetric and perinatal outcomes of the male factor infertility subgroup, following assisted reproduction. Design: A matched case-control study was performed on obstetric and perinatal outcomes of pregnancies following ART with male factor infertility diagnosis. Setting: The IVF center of one university (Gazi University School of Medicine) and one private hospital (Guven) and their obstetric departments in Ankara, Turkey, participated in the study. Patients: Study group was confined to 97 pregnancies following ART with male factor infertility diagnosis (146 neonates). Two separate control groups were chosen; one from spontaneously conceived pregnancies (207 pregnancies and 250 neonates), and other from pregnancies following ART with all other causes of infertility (108 pregnancies and 145 neonates), matched according to numerous parameters that may influence pregnancy outcomes (e.g. number of children at birth, maternal age, parity, etc). Main outcome measures: Maternal complications, birth weight, duration of gestation, perinatal morbidity and mortality, incidence, indication and duration of neonatal hospitalization and incidence of congenital malformations. RESULTS: Lower birth weight and shorter duration of gestation were observed among singletons of the male factor infertility subgroup compared to natural conception singletons. Nevertheless, adjusted analyses considering length of the duration revealed no differences. CONCLUSIONS: For the couples with male factor infertility conceived with ART, the overall obstetric and perinatal outcomes were similar with other infertility subgroups and spontaneously conceived ones.

Keywords: assisted reproductive technologies, male factor infertility, perinatal outcomes