Increased Risk of Stroke in Women Treated for Infertility
A recent study conducted by researchers at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in the United States has revealed that women who conceive after infertility treatment face twice the risk of having a stroke in the year after giving birth compared to women who conceive naturally. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA Network Open), analyzed the health outcomes of 31 million pregnant women who delivered in hospitals across 28 states between 2010 and 2018.
Among the women included in the study, 287,813 had received infertility treatment, which encompassed intrauterine insemination, assisted reproductive technology, surrogate pregnancy, and fertility preservation procedures. The researchers observed that the risk of stroke in women who received infertility treatments increased during the first 30 days after delivery and continued to rise throughout the first year postpartum.
Specifically, women who underwent infertility treatment had double the risk of experiencing a haemorrhagic stroke, characterized by bleeding in the brain, compared to women who did not. Additionally, the risk of ischemic stroke, caused by a cut in the blood supply to the brain, was 55% higher in women who sought infertility treatment compared to those who conceived naturally.
It should be noted, however, that the absolute number of stroke hospitalizations among women treated for infertility remains low, at 37 per 100,000. Despite this, the lead author of the study, Professor Kande Ananth, emphasizes that it is important for women seeking infertility treatment to be aware of this increased risk, although there is no need for panic.
Stroke is a significant contributor to pregnancy-related deaths, accounting for approximately 7.5% of such fatalities in the United States, which holds the highest maternal mortality rate among developed countries. Furthermore, the number of women undergoing infertility treatment has seen a significant increase over the past decade, with approximately 2% of births in the country involving some form of fertility assistance.
While infertility treatments are generally considered safe, previous studies have produced conflicting results regarding their potential to increase the risk of complications related to high blood pressure during pregnancy. A recent analysis of women from four Scandinavian countries found no increase in stroke incidence among those who received infertility treatment. However, the current study, involving a much larger sample size of close to 10 million women, lends greater credibility to its findings.
It is important to note that the study did not consider certain important risk factors for stroke, such as smoking, body mass index (BMI), and high blood pressure. Despite this limitation, the researchers assert that even after accounting for these factors, a heightened risk of stroke remains evident.
Professor Ananth proposes three potential explanations for the link between stroke and infertility treatment. Firstly, women undergoing infertility treatment may be at greater risk of developing preeclampsia and placental abruption, conditions associated with hypertension. Secondly, Chinese patients undergoing these treatments are often administered high doses of estrogen, which can increase blood clotting and act as a significant risk factor for stroke. Lastly, there may be other biological factors contributing to the increased risk of stroke among women seeking infertility treatment.
Although the findings are not definitively conclusive, Professor Ananth emphasizes that stroke is still a rare occurrence among women after childbirth, even in those who have undergone infertility treatment.
To access the full paper, please follow this link.
Although the absolute number is low, cerebral hemorrhage is twice as high and ischemic stroke is 55% higher.
Enter 2023.09.02 20:00 Hits 0 Enter 2023.09.02 20:00 Edit 2023.09.02 16:05 Hits 0
The risk of stroke in women treated for infertility increased during the first 30 days after delivery and continued to increase during the first year after delivery. [사진=게티이미지뱅크]A new study has found that women who conceive after infertility treatment have twice the risk of having a stroke in the year after giving birth compared to women who conceive naturally. This is the content reported by the New York Times (NYT) based on a thesis by researchers at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in the United States, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA Network Open) on the 30th from last month (local time).
The researchers analyzed the health outcomes of 31 million pregnant women who delivered in hospitals in 28 states between 2010 and 2018. Among them, 287,813 women received infertility treatment. Infertility treatment, as defined by the researchers, included intrauterine insemination, assisted reproductive technology, surrogate pregnancy, and fertility preservation procedures.
The risk of stroke in women who received these infertility treatments increased during the first 30 days after delivery and continued to increase during the first year after delivery. Women who underwent infertility treatment had twice the risk of having a haemorrhagic stroke (bleeding in the brain) than women who did not. The risk of ischemic stroke, where there is a cut in the blood supply to the brain, was 55% higher compared to women who conceived naturally.
However, the absolute figure is very low, with 37 stroke hospitalizations per 100,000 women treated for infertility, the researchers stressed. It’s not something to panic about, but it’s something that women who want to be treated for infertility need to be aware of, says the study’s lead author, Kande Ananth, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the Robert School of Medicine. Wood Johnson.
The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate in the developed world, and stroke accounts for approximately 7.5% of pregnancy-related deaths. In addition, the number of women undergoing infertility treatment has increased dramatically over the past decade. According to the study, about 2% of births in the United States involve some form of infertility treatment.
Infertility treatments are generally safe, but some studies are conflicting about whether or not they increase the risk of complications related to high blood pressure during pregnancy. Early last month, an analysis of women from four Scandinavian countries published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA Cardiology) found no increase in stroke. However, the study was relatively smaller than this study as it included 2.4 million people. On the other hand, this study can be considered more reliable as it is the largest study ever with women close to 10 times that number.
The new study did not include data on important risk factors for stroke, such as smoking, body mass index (BMI) and high blood pressure. Even after accounting for the missing data, the researchers said they still found an increased risk.
Professor Anant said there were three possible explanations for the link between stroke and infertility treatment. First, women undergoing infertility treatment are at increased risk of preeclampsia (preeclampsia) and placental abruption associated with hypertension. Second, Chinese patients undergoing infertility treatment are often given high doses of estrogen, which can increase blood clotting, a powerful risk factor for stroke. Thirdly, there is a high possibility that there are other biological reasons for infertility.
Professor Anant said the findings were not conclusive, stressing that stroke is still very rare among women after childbirth, even if they have been treated for infertility.
The paper can be found at the following link.
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