May 6, 2024

Fertility treatments are harmless to the heart and circulatory system in the short and medium term: www.frauenaerzte-im-netz.de

04/09/2023

IVF is suspected to have a harmful effect on the heart and circulatory system. A British Scandinavian study analyzed health data from about 2.5 million women and found no evidence that fertility treatments affect cardiovascular health.

doctor. Maria Magnus from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and her multinational team investigated whether and to what extent the risk of cardiovascular disease increases after fertility treatment. To do this, they collected data from health records in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

From 1984 to 2015, the research team found about 2.5 million mothers, of whom 97,474 gave birth after fertility treatment. Medical data was collected – on any cardiovascular disease until August 2022. The researchers took into account, among others, coronary artery disease, heart muscle disease, heart failure (heart failure), stroke, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis and heart attack (myocardial infarction). .

There are no statistically significant differences after natural and artificial insemination

On average, the follow-up period for women was 11 years. The researchers also took into account other risk factors such as age, number of births, diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome, diabetes, and chronic hypertension.

The average age of mothers without fertility treatment was 29.1 years. The average age of mothers after fertility treatment was 33.8 years. There was no significant difference in the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, there was a trend toward a modest reduction in the risk of heart attacks in women after successful IVF.

The research team concludes from the results that women after fertility treatment (ICSI, IVF, fresh/frozen embryo transfer) do not experience an increased cardiovascular risk in the short and medium term – compared to women who conceived naturally. Whether fertility treatment increases the risk of cardiovascular disease in the long term—that is, after only decades—can only be proven through studies based on longer time periods.

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Source: Magnus MC, Fraser A, Håberg SE, Rönö K, Romundstad LB, Bergh C, Spangmose AL, Pinborg A, Gissler M, Wennerholm UB, Åsvold BO, Lawlor DA, Opdahl S. Maternal risk of cardiovascular disease after use Assisted reproductive technologies. Gamma Cardiol. 2023 August 9:e232324. doi: 10.1001/jamacardio.2023.2324. Electronic publishing before printing. PMID: 37556134; Company ID ID: PMC10413220.