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MONDAY, Feb. 4, 2019 (HealthDay News) – A new study suggests that women who have undergone fertility treatment – particularly in vitro fertilization – are more likely to experience serious complications during pregnancy.
However, it is unclear whether the treatments result in increased risk and whether the benefits of IVF far outweigh the obstetric hazards, said the Canadian authors of the study.
"It is important to remember that the absolute number of women who develop these complications remains quite low, which means that for most women who can not conceive naturally, this treatment is a very safe and effective method of becoming pregnant and to have a child, "said the manager. researcher Dr. Natalie Dayan. She is the Director of Obstetrical Medicine at the McGill University Health Center in Montreal.
In the study, Dayan and his colleagues tracked data on nearly 814,000 live births and stillbirths in hospitals in the Canadian province of Ontario between 2006 and 2012.
They compared more than 11,500 women who had conceived a treatment against infertility to more than 47,500 women who had conceived without such treatments. Women who conceived with a treatment for infertility were generally older, had higher incomes, were more often mothers for the first time, and had multiple fetuses.
Rates of serious complications of pregnancy – such as heavy bleeding after delivery, ICU admission, and blood infection – were around 31 per 1,000 pregnancies treated for infertility and 22 per 1,000 untreated pregnancies. processed, research shown.
This higher risk has been observed in women with IVF, but not in women who have received other forms of infertility treatment, such as intrauterine insemination or induction of ovulation with drugs. according to the study published on February 4. Journal of the Canadian Medical Association.
Overall, "we found that women who received treatment for infertility, particularly in vitro fertilization, were about 40% more likely to experience a serious pregnancy complication compared to women who have given birth without any treatment, "said Dayan in a press release.
Like previous studies, this one revealed that being over the age of 40 and being pregnant with twins or triplets was badociated with higher rates of serious complications of pregnancy, the team noted. of research. The treatment of infertility is common in older women and multiple pregnancy is more likely after the treatment of infertility.
So, "if the increased risk [for IVF recipients] is a reflection of those who require or choose in vitro fertilization, remains to be determined, "wrote the authors.
An American expert in fertility has accepted.
"It's hard to know who the real culprit is," said Dr. Avner Hershlag, head of reproductive endocrinology at Northwell Health in Manhbadet, New York.
Without these data, it seems "more plausible" that certain medical problems, such as obesity, may constitute the real driving force of results, not the use of IVF, Hershlag said.
"Further studies could help us clarify these important issues," he said.
More information
The US National Institute of Child Health and Human Development has more on the treatment of infertility.
SOURCES: Avner Hershlag, M.D., Program Director, Endocrinology and Reproductive Endocrinology Grant, Northwell Health, Manhbadet, N.Y .; Journal of the Canadian Medical Association, press release of February 4, 2019
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