There is a season. . . for getting pregnant

It ends up that assisted reproduction technology procedures have a season: spring. In a new study presented at the World Congress of Fertility and Sterility it was revealed that all things being equal, for some reason, ART is more successful in the spring.

Of course, we all know that springtime in nature is the popular time for bearing offspring of all kinds. But it ends up that ART is influenced as well. It may be that temperature and other atmospheric elements influence the body’s willingness to get pregnant, whether naturally or with a little technological help.

The research team was led by Dr. Daniela Braga of Sao Paolo. She studied 1,932 women undergoing egg harvesting and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). She studied them throughout the different seasons of the year.

Her team found that among high quality embryos, implantation and pregnancy rates did not differ among the groups. However the fertilization rate was significantly higher in the spring at 73.5%. Their data showed winter at 67.9%, summer 68.7% and fall 69%. Hormone rates were also naturally higher in the spring.

“This work shows that IVF cycles may have a better outcome during the spring. Our results show a significant difference in spring fertilization rate, with the fertilization rate in the spring being almost one and a half-times that of other seasons. In practical terms this may mean that if you are having real difficulty in conceiving, it may be better to have an assisted reproduction cycle during this season,” said Dr. Braga.

She went on to speculate that what causes the higher success rate may be changing light on neurons in the brain which produce hormones favorable to fertilization. Her next study will look at just that and hopefully unlock the mystery of why springtime is the right time for babies.

Source: International Federation of Fertility Societies, ScienceDaily