Bed rest unnecessary after embryo transfer

Despite the long-standing recommendations of many fertilization clinics, thirty minutes of bed rest after embryo transfer does not improve the rate of pregnancy, according to the results of a recent controlled trial.

Researchers from California randomized women undergoing 164 cycles of in vitro fertilization to either 30 minutes of bed rest or immediate clinic departure. No statistical differences existed in either the clinical pregnancy rate, which was 50% for both groups, or in the ongoing pregnancy rate, which was 46.3% for both groups.

The authors of the study suggest we focus less on bed rest and more on other factors that have been shown to make a difference, such as the method of loading the catheter, the volume of air and media, and the density of the media.