SynthesisBMC medicine2025
Assisted reproductive technology and reproductive, perinatal, and maternal outcomes: evidence from an umbrella review of systematic reviews with meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials.
Synthesis in BMC medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The effects of oral antioxidants on outcomes of assisted reproductive technology: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Pooled it
- Obstetrical and Neonatal Outcomes in Twin Pregnancies Based on Chorionicity: A Systematic Review of ART-Conceived Monochorionic vs. Dichorionic Twins.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Beyond Individual Resilience: A Social-Ecological Perspective on Sustaining the NICU Nursing Workforce.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Article
- A large-scale prediction model to predict large for gestational age infants conceived by IVF/ICSI.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
23 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe expanding global use of assisted reproductive technology (ART) warrants rigorous evidence synthesis. This umbrella review (UR) evaluated the strength and validity of evidence on ART effects on reproductive, perinatal, and maternal outcomes.
methodsWe searched five databases and reference lists (Inception to 15 June 2025) to identify systematic reviews with meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). For each extracted association, we performed a reanalysis using random-effects models, calculated the 95% prediction interval, heterogeneity, small-study effect, and evaluated excess significance bias. The quality of systematic reviews was evaluated using A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR). The certainty of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE) system, and the strength of evidence was also evaluated on a grading scale. This study is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42024563290).
resultsThe UR included 23 meta-analyses (200 associations from 109 RCTs), with 69.6% rated high quality. Regarding reproductive outcomes, high credibility of evidence showed that frozen embryo transfer (ET), compared with fresh ET, was associated with a reduced risk of ectopic pregnancy. Sequential ET significantly improved ongoing pregnancy rates relative to single blastocyst or cleavage-stage ET. Single ET, compared with double ET, reduced multiple births, but decreased live birth rate. Regarding perinatal and maternal outcomes, high-credibility evidence indicated that frozen ET, compared with fresh ET, was associated with increased birth weight of singletons, and a higher rate of large for gestational age infants and miscarriage, but a lower rate of small for gestational age infants in cumulative measures and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. While frozen ET significantly reduced the risk of preterm delivery, it paradoxically increased the rate of neonatal hospitalization.
conclusionsThis UR delineates trade-offs between ART and reproductive, perinatal, and maternal outcomes. Clinical decisions should balance effectiveness against potential risks, with future research focusing on personalized treatment strategies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.