| February 2013 · Vol. 25, No. 2
VTE and PE risks increase
with IVF pregnancies
Although absolute risks are small, risk of venous thromboembolism and pulmonary embolism increased during the first trimester
Pregnant women have an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and pulmonary embolism (PE) after in vitro fertilization (IVF), especially during the first trimester, according to a study published in BMJ. Peter Henriksson, MD, of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional study to estimate the risk of VTE and PE during the pregnancy and in each trimester after IVF. The population comprised 23,498 women who had given birth following IVF between 1990 and 2008, who were matched with 116,960 women with natural pregnancies. The researchers observed a significantly increased risk of VTE after IVF versus natural pregnancies (4.2 versus 2.5 per 1,000 women; hazard ratio [HR], 1.77). The increased risk was seen during the whole pregnancy and varied between the trimesters, with a particular increase noted during the first trimester (1.5 versus 0.3 per 1,000 women; HR, 4.22). During the first trimester, significantly more women experienced PE after IVF versus natural pregnancy (3.0 versus 0.4 per 10,000 women; HR, 6.97). “Our results show an increased risk of thromboembolism and, importantly, pulmonary embolism in pregnant women after in vitro fertilization,” the authors write. “Doctors should be aware of these increased risks because the symptoms of pulmonary embolism can be insidious and the condition is potentially fatal.”
To read the full text of “Incidence of pulmonary and venous thromboembolism in pregnancies after in vitro fertilization: cross sectional study” CLICK HERE.
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