Side of ovarian endometrioma does not affect the outcome of in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection in infertile women after laparoscopic cystectomy

Aim The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the laterality of ovarian endometrioma on pregnancy outcome of in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) in infertile patients undergoing laparoscopic cystectomy. Material and Methods A total of 103 IVF/ICSI cycles in patients who had undergone laparoscopic cystectomy for unilateral endometriomas were reviewed retrospectively from January 2005 through December 2009. There were 41 cycles where laparoscopic cystectomy had been carried out for right endometriomas and 62 cycles after left-side surgery. Primary outcome measures were ovarian reserve and ovarian response. Secondary outcome measures were the implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate, and live birth rate. Results There was no difference among the two groups with regard to antral follicle count, number of oocytes retrieved, the dosage of gonadotrophin, estradiol level on human chorionic gonadotrophin day, good-quality embryos for transfer, and fertilization rate. The clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate were similar between the two groups; however, the implantation rate was significantly lower in the cycles with left-side ovarian endometrioma compared to the right counterpart (10.1% vs 20.2%; P = 0.015). Conclusion There were no associations among the laterality of ovarian endometrioma, ovarian reserve and ovarian response in IVF/ICSI cycles. However, left ovarian endometrioma after laparoscopic cystectomy may impair implantation rate as compared to right ovarian endometrioma.