Birth outcomes after treatment for infertility

January 01, 0001

Birth outcomes after treatment for infertility

These US authors conducted a population-based surveillance of women who recently delivered a live infant to study birth outcomes among live born infants conceived by women who used infertility treatment. They analyzed a stratified random sample of women who were attempting conception and gave birth to a live infant in six US states (n = 16,748). The birth outcomes among infants whose mothers used assisted reproductive technology (ART) or ovulation stimulation medications alone were compared with the outcomes of infants conceived without treatment.

They found: "The prevalence of infertility treatment use overall among women attempting conception was 10.9% (5.4% ART procedures, 5.5% ovulation stimulation medications). Singletons of mothers who received ART procedures were more likely to be born with low birthweight, preterm, and small for gestational age (SGA) than singleton infants conceived without treatment. Singleton infants of mothers who used ovulation stimulation medications alone were more likely to be SGA than singleton infants conceived without treatment. No differences were found between ART and no treatment twin infants."

The authors concluded: "Among singleton infants, ART is associated with decreased fetal growth, decreased gestational length, and SGA; ovulation stimulation alone is associated with SGA."

This study does not determine causation, but does provide information worth noting.

For the full abstract, click here.

Fertility and Sterility 96(2):314-320.e2, August 2011 © 2011 to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine
Birth outcomes of intended pregnancies among women who used assisted reproductive technology, ovulation stimulation, or no treatment. Denise V. D’Angelo, Nedra Whitehead, Kristen Helms, Wanda Barfield, Indu B.Ahluwalia. Correspondence to Dr. D’Angelo: [email protected]

Category: W. Pregnancy, Family Planning. Keywords: infertility treatment, assisted reproductive technology, ovulation stimulation, birth outcomes, small for gestational age, low birthweight, preterm birth, population-based survey, journal watch.
Synopsis edited by Dr Linda French, Toledo, Ohio. Posted on Global Family Doctor 30 August 2011

Pearls are an independent product of the Cochrane primary care group and are meant for educational use and not to guide clinical care.