ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Med.
Sec. Obstetrics and Gynecology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1626519
This article is part of the Research TopicART safety assessment: parent-offspringView all articles
Impact of IGRA Positivity in Untreated Inactive Pulmonary Tuberculosis on IVF-ET Outcomes in Infertile Women: An Ambispective Cohort Study
Provisionally accepted
Xiaoyan Gai1
Hongbin Chi2
Lin Zeng3
Lixue Chen2
Zikang Sheng1
Wenli Cao4
Chen Zhang5
Jingge Qu1
Yue Zhang1Weixia Zhang1Qingtao Zhou1Ping Liu2
Yongchang Sun1*
Rong Li2*
Jie Qiao2- 1Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, beijing, China
- 2Center for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
- 3Clinical Epidemiology Research Center, Peking University Third Hospital, beijing, China
- 4Tuberculosis Department, Beijing Geriatric Hospital, beijing, China
- 5Information Center, Peking University Third Hospital, beijing, China
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Background: Tuberculosis can adversely affect both overall health and female reproductive function. This study investigated the association between the interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) status and pregnancy outcomes in infertile women with untreated "inactive" tuberculosis lesions seen on chest radiography undergoing in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET).Methods: This ambispective cohort study, including retrospective (2012-2019) and prospective (2020-2024) cohorts, enrolled infertile women with untreated inactive tuberculosis lesions on chest imaging planning to undergo IVF-ET. All patients underwent IGRA testing. Baseline characteristics, including age, body mass index (BMI), infertility factors, ultrasound follicle count, and hormone levels, were collected. Pregnancy outcomes, including live birth rates, oocyte retrieval numbers, embryo quality, and clinical pregnancy, miscarriage, and preterm birth rates were followed and compared between the IGRA-positive and IGRA-negative groups.Results: Among 836 patients, the IGRA positivity rate was 42.5%. The cumulative miscarriage rate was higher in the IGRA-positive than in the IGRA-negative group (21.5% vs. 15.0%, P=0.047). No significant differences were found in clinical pregnancy or live birth rates. Age, BMI, and endometrial thickness were independent risk factors influencing clinical 2 pregnancy and live birth rates, while the IGRA status was not.In infertile women with untreated inactive tuberculosis lesions on chest radiography, IGRA positivity is associated with higher cumulative miscarriage rates following IVF-ET. Early IGRA screening and intervention may help improve pregnancy outcomes.Keywords interferon-gamma release assay; tuberculosis; in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer; pregnancy outcome; infertility
Keywords: Interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA), Tuberculosis, Infertility, In vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET), Pregnancy Outcome
Received: 11 May 2025; Accepted: 18 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Gai, Chi, Zeng, Chen, Sheng, Cao, Zhang, Qu, Zhang, Zhang, Zhou, Liu, Sun, Li and Qiao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Yongchang Sun, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, beijing, China
Rong Li, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China
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