Higher pre-pregnancy body mass index was associated with adverse pregnancy and perinatal outcomes in women with polycystic ovary syndrome after a freeze-all strategy: A historical cohort study

IntroductionPrevious studies have demonstrated that abnormal body mass index (BMI) is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes in frozen-thawed embryo transfer cycles. However, the relationship between BMI and pregnancy and perinatal outcomes in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) remains unclear. Furthermore, whether a diagnosis of PCOS could result in adverse pregnancy and perinatal outcomes in women with different BMIs remains unknown.Material and methodsA historical cohort study included 1667 women with PCOS and 12 256 women without PCOS after a freeze-all policy between January 2016 and December 2020. The outcomes encompassed both pregnancy and perinatal outcomes. Multivariate logistic regression analysis and restricted cubic spline models were performed to eliminate confounding factors when investigating the relationship between BMI and different outcomes.ResultsAfter controlling for covariates, pregnancy outcomes were comparable between underweight women with PCOS and normal weight women with PCOS. However, overweight patients had a lower clinical pregnancy rate and an overall live birth rate. Furthermore, patients with obesity had a lower rate of multiple pregnancies but a higher rate of biochemical pregnancy than in the normal BMI group. Additionally, the restricted cubic spline models showed that as maternal BMI increased to 32 kg/m2, the clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate after blastocyst transfer decreased, but the risks of preterm birth, gestational diabetes mellitus, macrosomia, large-for-gestational age (LGA) and very LGA increased in patients with PCOS after a freeze-all strategy. Moreover, a diagnosis of PCOS resulted in a higher clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate and a higher risk of small-for-gestational age in the normal weight group. However, women with PCOS in the overweight group exhibited higher risks of very preterm birth and gestational diabetes mellitus compared with women without PCOS.ConclusionsThis study showed that a higher BMI had a detrimental impact on the pregnancy and perinatal outcomes of PCOS patients undergoing a freeze-all strategy. However, it was only statistically significant in the overweight group. A diagnosis of PCOS had a higher clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate in normal weight women but higher risks of perinatal complications in normal weight and overweight women. This study focused on women diagnosed with PCOS who had all their embryos frozen and underwent the first FET cycles. An increased BMI resulted in adverse reproductive outcomes. Weight management is of great importance for all women, irrespective of the PCOS state.image