Extended doxycycline treatment versus salpingectomy in the management of patients with hydrosalpinx undergoing IVF-ET

Background The aim of this study was to determine whether the treatment with doxycycline before and after oocyte retrieval is as effective as salpingectomy in minimizing the detrimental effect of hydrosalpinx on the outcomes of IVF-ET. Methods A retrospective analysis was done for the outcomes of the IVF-ET cycles of patients with hydrosalpinx who underwent laparoscopic salpingectomy prior to IVF cycle (n = 260) or were treated with extended doxycycline treatment during the IVF cycle (n = 45). In doxycycline group, doxycycline (100 mg twice daily) was started 1 week before anticipated oocyte retrieval and was continued for 1 week after oocyte retrieval. In salpingectomy group, the mesosalpinx was coagulated as close as possible to the fallopian tube. Results The implantation, clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy and live birth rates were significantly higher in the salpingectomy group (20.87% Vs. 9.91%, P value =0.007, 44.62% Vs. 20%, P value = 0.002, 39.62% Vs. 17.78%, P value = 0.005 and 37.31% Vs. 15.56%, P value = 0.005 respectively). Conclusion Salpingectomy is more effective than extended doxycycline treatment in improving the outcomes of IVF-ET in patients with hydrosalpinx undergoing IVF-ET. Further, larger well designed randomized controlled trials should be conducted to confirm the findings of this study.