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Objective sleep duration and timing predicts completion of in vitro fertilization cycle

  • Assisted Reproduction Technologies
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

To examine associations between objectively measured sleep duration and sleep timing with odds of completion of an in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle.

Methods

This prospective cohort study enrolled 48 women undergoing IVF at a large tertiary medical center between 2015 and 2017. Sleep was assessed by wrist-worn actigraphy, 1–2 weeks prior to initiation of the IVF cycle. Reproductive and IVF cycle data and demographic and health information were obtained from medical charts. Sleep duration, midpoint, and bedtime were examined in relation to IVF cycle completion using logistic regression models, adjusted for age and anti-Müllerian hormone levels. A sub-analysis excluded women who worked non-day shifts to control for circadian misalignment.

Results

The median age of all participants was 33 years, with 29% of women >35 years. Ten women had an IVF cycle cancelation prior to embryo transfer. These women had shorter sleep duration, more nocturnal awakenings, lower sleep efficiency, and later sleep timing relative to those who completed their cycle. Longer sleep duration was associated with lower odds of uncompleted IVF cycle (OR = 0.88; 95%CI 0.78, 1.00, per 20-min increment of increased sleep duration). Women with later sleep midpoint and later bedtime had higher odds of uncompleted cycle relative to those with earlier midpoint and earlier bedtime; OR = 1.24; 95%CI 1.09, 1.40 and OR = 1.33; 95%CI 1.17, 1.53 respectively, for 20-min increments. These results were independent of age, anti-Müllerian hormone levels, or sleep duration, and remained significant after exclusion of shift-working women.

Conclusions

Shorter sleep duration and later sleep timing increase the odds of uncompleted cycles prior to embryo transfer.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Siriraj Sleep Center, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Chawanont Pimolsri

  2. Department of Statistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Xiru Lyu

  3. Division of Sleep Medicine, Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, Med Inn C728, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5845, USA

    Cathy Goldstein, Louise M. O’Brien & Galit Levi Dunietz

  4. Division of Fertility and Reproductive Health, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Chelsea N. Fortin, Yolanda R. Smith & Michael S. Lanham

  5. Epidemiology Branch, Division of Intramural Population Health Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA

    Sunni L. Mumford

  6. Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Louise M. O’Brien

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  1. Chawanont Pimolsri
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Correspondence to Galit Levi Dunietz.

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Pimolsri, C., Lyu, X., Goldstein, C. et al. Objective sleep duration and timing predicts completion of in vitro fertilization cycle. J Assist Reprod Genet 38, 2687–2696 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-021-02260-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-021-02260-8

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