ART Increases Complications for Mom and Baby
Thursday, December 27, 2007 10:58The first population based study comparing mothers who used Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) and their babies
with mom-baby pairs who did not, showed a significant association between ART and complications for both mom and baby. The study, which was published in the November issue of the Maternal and Child Health Journal, compared US ART surveillance system data with the Massachusetts live birth infant death files, and showed an increased rate of cervical incompetence, uterine bleeding, pregnancy induced hypertension, placenta previa and placental abruption in mothers who used ART. In addition, the babies of mothers who used ART had an inceased risk of low birth weight, prematurity and extended hospital stays after birth.
Although many of the problems associated with ART are related to the high rate of multiple gestations created by fertility treatment, the study showed that even singleton pregnancies were at significantly increased risk for complications for both mom and baby. These complications are concerning, because they occurred despite the fact that ART pregnancies typically receive earlier and more comprehensive prenatal care than other pregnancies.
Certain causes of infertility were associated with different types of complications, indicating that there is some interplay between ART treatment and infertility itself causing these issues. Regardless, the findings of this study should be used to educate prospective parents before beginning fertility treatments.
Reference: L Schieve, B Cohen, A Nannini, C Ferre, M Reynolds, Z Zhang, G Jeng, M Macaluso, V Wright, and Massachusetts Consortium for Assisted Reproductive Technology Epidemiologic Research. A Population-Based Study of Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes Associated with Assisted Reproductive Technology in Massachusetts. Matern Child Health J. 2007;11(6):517-525.
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