Fix It A Clinician Was Interested in Understanding the Effect of Maternal

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A clinician was interested in understanding the effect of maternal age and maternal health on in vitro fertilization success. A total of 1078 women were identified as undergoing in vitro fertilization in a large metropolitan city. A random sample of 500 women was selected from this population and sent a letter requesting their participation in the study. A total of 108 women agreed to participate. A semi-structured interview was conducted with each woman. Interviews took between one and three hours to complete. Aside from asking basic demographic information such as age, ethnicity, and highest level of educational attainment, the interviewer asked questions to assess each woman's physical health. The final question of the survey was "How have you changed your diet and exercise routine to prepare for in vitro fertilization?" Data were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative analyses included dividing respondents into three age groups: young (25-29 years), old (30-34 years), and older (35-39 years), and into three health categories based on BMI (normal, overweight and obese) at time of conception. The number of successful pregnancies across age groups and health level was measured. A successful pregnancy was defined as becoming pregnant and carrying the baby to term. This 3 × 3 design was analyzed statistically using a two-factor ANOVA. The data revealed a statistically significant main effect for age (p < .05), health level (p < .05), and an interaction for age × health (p < .05). Further inspection of the data suggested that younger women in the normal and overweight BMI range had the most successful pregnancies. Young women who were obese had a similar success rate as older normal-weight women. Qualitative analysis of how women prepared for in vitro revealed a statistical difference between older and younger women, with older women changing their diet and exercise routine much more than younger women. These results indicate that a woman's age and weight are factors associated with in vitro success, and that behavioral modifications, such as diet and exercise have little impact.
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