Endometrial polyps effect on pregnancy outcomes in infertile women with minimal/mild endometriosis: A retrospective study

OBJECTIVE: To assess the pregnancy outcomes and associated influencing factors of pregnancy after hysteroscopy combined with laparoscopy treatment in infertile patients with minimal/mild endometriosis. DESIGN: A retrospective study. SETTING: West China Second University Hospital of Sichuan University. PATIENTS: We enrolled 898 infertile women who had their minimal/mild endometriosis lesions removed by laparoscopy, including 271 patients additionally diagnosed with endometrial polyps who also underwent hysteroscopic polypectomy. METHODS: Based on the existence of endometrial polyps, patients with minimal/mild endometriosis were enrolled and divided into polyps group and non-polyps group. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pregnancy outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 271 women with minimal/mild endometriosis were included in polyps group while 491 women with minimal/mild endometriosis were included in non-polyps group. The pregnancy rate of polyps group was not statistically significant compared with non-polyp group (60.15% vs. 58.25%). The pregnancy rate was higher among patients with polyps ≥1 cm (76.06%, 54/71) than patients with polyps <1 cm (54.50%, 109/200) or patients without polyps (58.25%, 286/491) (p = 0.006). The pregnancy rate was higher for patients with multiple polyps (67.86%, 95/140) than for patients with single polyp (51.91%, 68/131) or without polyps (p = 0.025). CONCLUSIONS: Among women with minimal/mild endometriosis, hysteroscopic polypectomy did significantly increase fertility in infertile patients with multiple polyps or size of polyp ≥1 cm compared with those without endometrial polyps, single polyp, and size of polyp <1 cm. The size and number of polyps were independently associated with the reproductive ability of women with minimal/mild endometriosis.