Research suggests that stillbirth is four times more likely after certain types of fertility treatments.
A study published this month in the journal Human Reproduction compared the rate of stillbirth in babies conceived spontaneously versus those conceived through different types of fertility treatments. They found that while there was no significant difference in stillbirths between spontaneous pregnancies and non-IVF fertility treatments, the rate of stillbirth was four times higher in babies conceived via IVF (in vitro fertilization) or ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection).
While the results of the study are frightening for women undergoing fertility treatments, according to researchers it’s important to remember that the stillbirth rate is still very low in all the groups studied. The study, which analyzed data from the Aarhus Birth Cohort, found an overall stillbirth rate of 4.3 per thousand pregnancies. The rate of stillbirth in pregnancies conceived through IVF or ICSI was 16.2 per thousand or roughly 1.6%.
Since the rates of stillbirth were similar in women who conceived spontaneously in less than a year, those who took more than a year to conceive, and those who underwent fertility treatments other than IVF/ICSI, some feel this is evidence that something about the IVF/ICSI process itself is responsible for the increased risk. Of course, it could also be true that the same factors which cause couples to fail to conceive via other methods also predispose them to stillbirth.
The study also raises other questions. For instance, the data show that stillbirths in women who underwent IVF occurred 4 weeks earlier than stillbirths in women who conceived spontaneously. Researchers need to learn more about the causes of stillbirth to understand these differences, so they are continuing to collect more data.
We know that women are putting of pregnancy until later in life, and that by the time many try to conceive, their fertility is on the decline. Hopefully further study will help us understand more about the risks of fertility treatments, so that woman can make a more informed choice about when or if to start a family.
By: Kristie McNealy.M.D
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