infertility treatment linked with slightly higher pregnancy complication risk

Women who have undergone infertility treatment, such as in-vitro fertilisation, are more likely to experience severe pregnancy complications, according to new research. The complications include severe postpartum haemorrhage and sepsis. Sepsis is a life-threatening illness caused by the body's response to an infection. Maternal age greater than 40 years and being pregnant with twins or triplets are also linked with a higher rate of these complications.

"We found that the women who received infertility treatment, especially in-vitro fertilisation, were about 40 per cent more likely to experience severe pregnancy complication compared with women who gave birth without any treatment," said lead author Natalie Dayan from the McGill University Health Centre in Canada.

However, the number of women who develop these complications remains small, suggesting for most women who cannot conceive naturally, this treatment is safe, said Dayan. For the study, researchers examined 813,719 live births and still-births and identified that 11,546 women conceived through infertility treatment.

The women who conceive with infertility treatment are typically older, report higher incomes, are more often first-time mothers and carry multiple foetuses, said the study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

During pregnancy, such complications are often sudden and difficult to predict. Hence, it is important to identify women who may be at risk for these "near miss" events so that worse outcomes, including death, may be averted, the study suggested.