Ovarian Stimulation for IVF May Increase the Risk for Ovarian Tumors

Photo: Veer

Women going through IVF procedures should be extra-cautious, according to a new study in Human Reproduction. Researchers from the Netherlands reported that subfertile women who have their ovaries stimulated to produce extra eggs for IVF may be at a greater risk for developing an ovarian tumor later in life.

In the study, researchers analyzed 19,146 subfertile women who had gone through at least one IVF ovarian stimulation treatment and 6,006 subfertile women who were not treated with IVF. Out of all the women analyzed, 77 had ovarian tumors -- 61 had gone through IVF (31 women had borderline ovarian cancer, and 30 had invasive ovarian cancer).

After researchers adjusted the data for certain factors like age, how many children the women already had and the cause of the subfertility, they found that the long-term risks for ovarian malignancies were higher in the IVF treatment group. The researchers plan to examine the issue further by including 8,800 women who started IVF treatment between 1995 and 2000 (preferably women who underwent three or more cycles of treatment) and 4,200 subfertile women who did not go through IVF between 1980 and 2000.

According to the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, ovarian cancer is the eighth most commonly reported cancer and occurs in older patients. Some 140,000 women died from the disease in 2008 alone.

This study is definitely something to follow up on later. What do you think of the findings? Will this discourage you from undergoing IVF?

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