Pregnancies following ultrasound-guided drainage of tubo-ovarian abscess.

<bold>Objective: </bold>To study fertility among women treated by means of ultrasound-guided drainage and antibiotics for tubo-ovarian abscess (TOA). <bold>Design: </bold>Retrospective cohort study. <bold>Setting: </bold>A tertiary referral center. <bold>Patient(s): </bold>One hundred women of reproductive age treated for TOA between June 1986 and July 2003. <bold>Intervention(s): </bold>Transvaginal ultrasound-guided drainage of TOA was performed in all patients. The procedure was repeated if a substantial amount of pus was seen using ultrasonography 2-5 days after the initial aspiration, and repeated later if necessary. <bold>Main Outcome Measure(s): </bold>Frequency of naturally conceived pregnancies. <bold>Result(s): </bold>Twenty of 38 (52.6%; 95% CI 36.5-68.9%) women who intended to have a child achieved pregnancy naturally and became mothers. In addition, 7 (50%) of 14 women who were not on birth control on a regular basis became pregnant. No ectopic pregnancies were registered. <bold>Conclusion(s): </bold>Ultrasound-guided drainage of TOA in combination with antibiotics seems to preserve fertility in approximately half of the patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]