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IVF, Egg Donation, and Women’s Health


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To date, more than one million babies have been born worldwide as a result of IVF and in 2003 U.S fertility clinics reported 112,872 IVF cycles. Although there has been considerable medical literature exploring the possible health effects of in vitro fertilization to babies born from this technology, the potential health risks to the women who undergo this process have been less extensively studied.

 

IVF, Egg Donation, and Women’s Health
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Could the Underlying Cause of Infertility Raise the Risk of Malignancies?

An analysis of the risk of gynecological cancers resulting from infertility treatment must take into account whether the underlying medical conditions that contribute to infertility may independently place women at higher risk for gynecological  alignancies. Many studies have demonstrated that women with primary (never able to conceive) and secondary (previously able to conceive before experiencing infertility) infertility have a higher risk of gynecologic malignancies than the average population (Brinton
et al., 2004; Modan et al., 1998; Rossing et al., 1994; Althuis et al., 2005a). Notably, the increased risk has been found among women with infertility who have undergone infertility treatment and those who have not (Brinton et al, 2004). One study documented this as a 23 percent increased risk of cancer among women with infertility, providing consistent findings with other authors (Brinton et al., 2005).

There are numerous examples of the underlying causes of infertility being linked to gynecological malignancies. Breast, endometrial, and ovarian malignancies all can be caused by chronic exposure to reproductive hormones arising from within the woman’s body, which can happen as part of infertility. The absence of ovulation (anovulation) and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), two medical conditions implicated in infertility, also have been associated with an increased risk of breast and endometrial cancer (Brinton et al., 2005; Baron et al., 2001; Pierpoint et al., 1998; Dahlgren et al., 1991; Escobedo et al., 1991). Endometriosis, another factor in infertility, also has been linked with an increased risk of ovarian cancer and malignant
melanoma (Brinton et al., 2004; Stern et al., 2001; Modesitt et al., 2002; Ness 2003). Hydrosalpinx, a collection of fluid in the fallopian tubes, has been linked with infertility resulting from implantation failure and ovarian cancer (Brinton et al., 2005).

Table of Contents
 

Date added:
Jul 14, 2006
Project:
Genetics and Public Policy Center
References:
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References:

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