Cohort Profile: CITIC-Xiangya Assisted Reproductive Technology Cohort (CXART Cohort)

Abstract

Abstract To address the data source gap between the wide use of assisted reproductive technology (ART) and deficiencies in clinical and biological research, the CITIC-Xiangya Assisted Reproductive Technology (CXART) Cohort began to enroll infertile patients who attended the Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya for ART treatment since January 2016, and enrollment is expected to be completed in January 2026. By November 30, 2020, 223,494 ART cycles were recorded from 119,590 infertile couples. In addition to the detailed medical, treatment and laboratory records, examination and detection results, billing information captured from the hospital’s pre-designed and ART-specialized electronic medical records system; and follow-up data at four time points (14 and 28 days after transfer, 42 days and 1 year after delivery) collected by the active follow-up team, we also investigated lifestyle habits, environmental exposure, dietary nutrition and psychological emergencies of 26,747 infertile couples by proactive investigation. To date, a total of 71,689 biological samples have been collected from infertile couples, including peripheral blood, follicular fluid, cumulus cells, and semen. The cohort has the capacity to examine the causes and elucidate the mechanisms of infertility, novel therapeutic targets, and better reproductive outcomes, and provides a theoretical basis for the exploration of personalized precision medicine, especially in Chinese populations.