Assisted human reproduction and pregnancy outcomes in Alberta, 2009-2018: a population-based study

Assisted human reproduction (AHR) can be used to help individuals and couples overcome infertility issues. We sought to describe trends in pregnancies using AHR and to evaluate the impact of AHR on perinatal outcomes in a large population-based cohort in Alberta, Canada.

We linked maternal and child administrative data for all live births occurring July 1, 2009, to Dec. 31, 2018, in Alberta, Canada, for this retrospective study. We identified AHR pregnancies from pharmaceutical claims or codes from the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (9th or 10th revision). Our main outcome measures were the incidence and temporal trends of live births in AHR pregnancies. We also compared maternal characteristics and perinatal outcomes of AHR and non-AHR pregnancies, and by maternal age group.

Of 518 293 live births during the study period, 26 270 (5.1%) were conceived with AHR. The incidence of AHR pregnancies increased from 30.8 per 1000 pregnancies in 2009 to 54.7 per 1000 pregnancies in 2018. Females who used AHR were older (33.9 yr v. 30.1 yr, p < 0.001) and the number of females aged 30-35 years and older than 35 years who delivered following AHR increased over the study period (30-35 yr: 36.9 to 55.3 per 1000 pregnancies; > 35 yr: 79.1 to 95.2 per 1000 pregnancies). The proportion of live births with cesarean delivery (40.5% v. 23.3%, p < 0.001), low birth weight (26.9% v. 7.6%, p < 0.001), congenital malformation (0.5% v. 0.3%, p = 0.002) and admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (25.3% v. 9.7%, p < 0.001) was higher in the AHR group than the non-AHR group.

The incidence of live births following AHR pregnancies in Alberta was 5.1% between 2009 and 2018, and increased by 0.26% per year; newborns in the AHR group appeared smaller and showed signs of poorer health. This study provides insights on potential perinatal complications following AHR that may be important when caring for the newborn child.