Polycystic ovary syndrome - a risk factor of pre-eclampsia after in vitro fertilisation

Taking into account an increasing number of pregnancies after the assisted reproduction, we tried to evaluate the risk of pre-eclampsia for mono-foetal pregnancy after IVF and to determine the degree of risk factors.

The study included 16,400 patients, while 15,874 of them were after spontaneous conception and 526 after conception using assisted reproductive technologies. For the basic statistical analysis, we used frequency tables and basic statistical characteristics for numeric and ordinary variables. To verify the statistical dependence, we used contingency tables, Fisher exact test and the odds ratio.

In the group of women after in vitro fertilisation, a higher incidence of pre-eclampsia was recorded than in the group of women after spontaneous conception. Conception via in vitro fertilisation represents the 3.4-fold risk of pre-eclampsia development (OR 3.404 95% CI 2.407-4.8).

The major causes of a higher incidence of pre-eclampsia in case of assisted reproduction include: polycystic ovary syndrome, insulin resistance, subfertility, age and obesity of patients. Assisted reproductive technologies are not the cause of a higher incidence of pre-eclampsia in case of the assisted reproduction (Tab. 4, Fig. 2, Ref. 22).