Fertility Drugs and Premature Babies

While most people are aware that fertility procedures like in vitro fertilization (IVF) may cause multiple births, others may not realize that fertility drugs also contribute to multiple births, increasing the number of premature babies born. It seems that the widespread use of fertility drugs probably plays a much larger role in the problem of premature births in the US than most people have realized.

March of Dimes Foundation commented last month on a study that found controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) drugs account for four times more live births than procedures like IVF or other assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs). The study revealed that in 2005, 4.6% of live births resulted from fertility drug use, while only 1.2% of births were from ARTs. The study by CDC and March of Dime authors was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

“Many people have focused on the role of ARTs in multiples and have not fully appreciated that fertility drugs alone are responsible for one out of every five multiple births,” said Alan R. Fleischman, M.D., medical director of the March of Dimes.

Dr. Fleischman added that some health care professionals and their patients aren’t aware that the widely prescribed COH drugs involve serious risks to women and babies. He said that with the high possibility of multi-fetal pregnancy from the use of the drugs, there’s also a high risk of prematurity and lifelong health problems for the babies. Dr. Fleischman noted that approximately 88,000 babies are born prematurely each year as a result of the recent increase of twins, triplets and other multiple births.

The March of Dimes urges women taking fertility drugs to ask their doctors what they can do to prevent having a multi-fetal pregnancy. The organization is also encouraging further research, as well as more careful counseling and monitoring of women taking the drugs.

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Post from: Blisstree

Fertility Drugs and Premature Babies