Key result
Assisted reproductive technology in women with primarily low-risk heart disease resulted in no cardiovascular complications, demonstrating a safety profile similar to healthy matched controls.
Why the study?
Women with infertility and heart disease are increasingly seeking ART, but only one prior study examined its safety profile in this population.
Does assisted reproductive technology (ART) increase cardiovascular, reproductive, or obstetric complications in women with heart disease compared to matched controls without heart disease?
Case-Control (n=99)
No
Does assisted reproductive technology (ART) increase cardiovascular, reproductive, or obstetric complications in women with heart disease compared to matched controls without heart disease?
Absolute Event Rate: 0% vs 1%
In a small, low-risk cohort of women with heart disease, assisted reproductive technology appears to have a similar safety profile to that of healthy controls.
Supports ART feasibility in HD without excess risk; leaves open confirmation in larger prospective cohorts.
Background: Women with infertility and heart disease (HD) are increasingly seeking assisted reproductive technology (ART). There is only one other study that examines the safety profile of ART in this population. This study aims to evaluate the cardiac, reproductive, and obstetric outcomes of ART in women with HD. Methods: fertilization (IVF), oocyte cryopreservation (OC) or embryo banking (EB) with HD were included. Cases were matched 3:1 with age-, cycle type- and cycle start date- matched controls without HD. Outcomes included cardiovascular (CV), reproductive, and obstetric complications during or following ART. Results: Twenty women with HD were included. 15 (75%) had congenital HD, 1 (5%) had valvular disease, 1 (5%) had acquired cardiomyopathy, and 3 (15%) had arrhythmias. 90% were New York Heart Association class I. 55% of HD cases were modified WHO (mWHO) risk classification 1-2, 40% were mWHO 2-3 or 3, 5% were mWHO 4. Cases underwent 25 IVF, 5 OC, and 5 EB cycles and were compared with 79 controls who underwent 174 cycles. No CV complications or deaths occurred amongst cases following ART or pregnancy. There was no difference in risk of ART or obstetric outcomes amongst cases versus controls. Conclusion: For women with HD in this small, low -risk cohort, ART posed few risks that were similar in frequency to healthy controls.
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Quien et al. (2022) conducted a case-control in Infertility and heart disease (n=99). Heart disease vs. Women without heart disease was evaluated on Cardiovascular complications during or following ART. Assisted reproductive technology in women with primarily low-risk heart disease resulted in no cardiovascular complications, demonstrating a safety profile similar to healthy matched controls.
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