Honolulu, Hawaii – Not all infertility is alike, and the differences can be important for how a medically assisted pregnancy develops, according to new research presented at the 70th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. 

Researchers examined records of nearly 7,500 pregnancies resulting from Assisted Reproductive Technologies in Massachusetts between 2004 and 2008. Using statistical techniques to try to isolate how different forms of infertility affected pregnancy, the researchers discovered some important relationships. Women with ovulation disorders were found to have a higher incidence of gestational diabetes, and were more likely to deliver pre-term. Emergency room visits were increased if women had diminished ovarian reserve. Endometriosis, tubal factors, ovulation disorders and uterine factors were all linked with higher rates of prenatal hospital admission while women with uterine factor were twice as likely to have a cesarean delivery.

“There is much to learn from this rich data set. The first step to reducing these complications is to understand what factors may be contributing to them. Hopefully this will allow us to better care for women based on the specifics of their infertility diagnosis,” said Owen Davis, MD, Vice President of the ASRM.

P-608 B Luke et al, “Birth Outcomes by Infertility Diagnosis: Analyses of the Massachusetts Outcomes Study of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (MOSART)”

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