Severe maternal morbidity in women with high BMI in IVF and unassisted singleton pregnancies

Is there a synergistic risk of severe maternal morbidity (SMM) in overweight/obese women who conceived by IVF compared to normal-weight women without IVF?

SMM was more common in IVF pregnancies, and among overweight/obese women, but we did not detect a synergistic effect of both factors.

While much is known about the impact of overweight and obesity on success rates after IVF, there is less data on maternal health outcomes.

This is a population-based cohort study of 114 409 singleton pregnancies with conceptions dating from 11 January 2013 until 10 January 2014 in Ontario, Canada. The data source was the Canadian Assisted Reproductive Technologies Register (CARTR Plus) linked with the Ontario birth registry (BORN Information System).

We included women who delivered at ≥20 weeks gestation, and excluded those younger than 18 years or with twin pregnancies. Women were classified according to the mode of conception (IVF or unassisted) and according to pre-pregnancy BMI (high BMI (≥25 kg/m2) or low-normal BMI (<25 kg/m2)). The main outcome was SMM, a composite of serious complications using International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) codes. Secondary outcomes were gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes and cesarean delivery. Adjusted risk ratios (aRR) with 95% CI were estimated using log binomial regression, adjusted for maternal age, parity, education, income and baseline maternal comorbidity.

Of 114 409 pregnancies, 1596 (1.4%) were IVF conceptions. Overall, 41.2% of the sample had high BMI, which was similar in IVF and non-IVF groups. We observed 674 SMM events (rate: 5.9 per 1000 deliveries). IVF was associated with an increased risk of SMM (rate 11.3/1000; aRR 1.89, 95% CI: 1.06-3.39). High BMI was modestly associated with SMM (rate 7.0/1000; aRR 1.23, 95% CI: 1.04-1.45) There was no interaction between the two factors (P = 0.22). We noted supra-additive effects of high BMI and IVF on the risk of pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes, but not gestational hypertension or cesarean delivery.

We were unable to assess outcomes according to reason for treatment. Type II error (beta ~25%) may affect our results.

Our results support previous data indicating a greater risk of SMM in IVF pregnancies, and among women with high BMI. However, these factors do not interact. Overweight and obese women who seek treatment with IVF should be counseled about pregnancy risks. The decision to proceed with IVF should be based on clinical judgment after considering an individual's chance of success and risk of complications.

This study was supported by the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (grant 6291) and also supported by the Trio Fertility (formerly Lifequest) Research Fund. The authors report no competing interests.

Not applicable.