Treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and subsequent IVF deliveries

The aim was to study whether the treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) is associated with a subsequent increase in the use of IVF to achieve deliveries and whether women with cervical treatment and IVF have increased rates of preterm delivery.

This was a register-based retrospective cohort (n = 822 183 deliveries) study from Finland whose main outcome measures were the rates of IVF and preterm deliveries in different CIN treatment groups.

Of all deliveries in Finland, 1.5% (12 240) resulted from IVF treatment. This proportion was 1.6% for women who had undergone any cervical procedure [n = 150, risk ratio (RR): 1.21, confidence interval (CI): 1.04-1.42]. The risk for IVF was not increased after cervical conization, whether by loop or laser (1.6%), or ablation (1.8%). An increased number of IVF deliveries (2.7%) was observed following other excisional treatments, even when adjusted for year of delivery (RR: 1.83, CI: 1.16-2.89) or parity (RR: 1.95, CI: 1.25-3.04). Although women who had undergone any cervical procedure and IVF appeared to have an increased relative risk for preterm delivery (3.42-fold, CI: 2.18-5.37) when compared with women with neither, this was explained by maternal age and parity.

The proportion of IVF deliveries was not increased after cervical conization or ablation. This is reassuring for young women who undergo such treatments.