Raising the Bar: A Pilot Study Examining the Effects of Endometrial Grazing in Patients Undergoing In Vitro Fertilization

Infertility affects 1 in 7 couples worldwide. The most successful treatment is in vitro fertilization (IVF), a procedure where a woman’s eggs are collected and fertilized with sperm to make embryos, which are then placed in the woman’s uterus using a small catheter, a procedure called “embryo transfer.” Unfortunately, pregnancy rates from IVF are less than 50%. Recently, several studies have shown dramatically improved pregnancy rates by grazing the innermost lining of the uterus (the endometrium) with a small flexible catheter weeks prior to embryo transfer. These studies were all performed outside the United States (U.S.) in women with multiple failed IVF attempts and did not investigate the mechanisms by which endometrial grazing works. This study will be the first to evaluate the effect of endometrial grazing on IVF success in all women undergoing IVF, including first IVF cycles, frozen embryo transfers, and donor eggs. We hope this pilot study will produce preliminary data to allow our department to join the NIH-funded Reproductive Medicine Network and perform this trial on a national level, putting Northwestern among the ranks of other institutions known for excellence in reproductive endocrinology and infertility, such as Cornell, University of Pennsylvania, and Brigham and Women’s hospital.