A Closer Look at Infertility Treatment and Risk for Severe Maternal Morbidity

A Canadian study shows morbidity risk is elevated in IVF pregnancies but not those resulting from ovulation induction or intrauterine insemination.

To study the effects of specific fertility treatments on risk for severe maternal morbidity, investigators performed a retrospective study using data from Ontario, Canada, between 2006 and 2012. Some 11,600 pregnancies resulting from fertility treatment were compared with 47,600 pregnancies conceived spontaneously (“untreated pregnancies”). To account for confounding by indication, these untreated pregnancies had been selected from a population of 449,000 spontaneous pregnancies, then propensity scoring was applied to match them to fertility-treated pregnancies. The most common indicators of severe maternal morbidity were postpartum hemorrhage, sepsis, and cardiac conditions.

In analysis before propensity score matching, fertility treatment …

Reviewing Author

Robert L. Barbieri, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Robert L. Barbieri, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNational Institutes of Health

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

A Closer Look at Infertility Treatment and Risk for Severe Maternal Morbidity

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Reviewing Author