Objective: To determine the effectiveness of immunotherapy with high-dose IV immunoglobulin preceding IVF-ET for patients with repeated failure of ET.
Design: Prospective, observational.
Setting: Assisted Reproduction Unit of the Hospital Clínic i Provincial in Barcelona, a tertiary care setting.
Patients: Twelve consecutive tubal infertility patients experiencing repeated unexplained IVF-ET failure including at least three ETs replacing three to four fresh embryos each. Two women shared three or more human leukocyte antigens (HLA) with the husband.
Intervention: During the subsequent new IVF-ET cycle, each patient received 400 mg/kg IV immunoglobulin daily for 5 days during ovarian stimulation, that is, 5 to 7 days before ET.
Main outcome measures: Clinical pregnancies.
Results: No implantation occurred. There were no side effects.
Conclusions: High-dose IV immunoglobulin is not a useful tool for IVF-ET failure.