Assisted reproductive technologies not associated with higher risk of CVD

A new study by Maria Magnus and team showed that women who gave birth after assisted reproductive technologies (ART) had no elevated risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) after a median follow-up of 11 years when compared to those who conceived without ART. The findings of this study were published in the Journal of American Medical Association.

Globally, the usage of assisted reproductive technologies is rapidly expanding. Because of the small number of studies and their short follow-up period, the results linked with therapy for an individual's long-term health, including risk of cardiovascular disease, remain mostly unclear. So, this study was carried out to determine if the risk of CVD is higher in those who have given birth after ART than those who have delivered without ART.

Using countrywide data from Denmark (1994-2014), Norway (1984-2015), Finland (1990-2014), and Sweden (1985-2015), a registry-based cohort analysis was done. From January through August 2022, data was analyzed. During the research period, a total of 2496441 persons with a registered delivery in national birth registries were included, and 97474 (4%) of these gave birth following ART. ART quality registries and/or medical birth registries provided data on ART conception. Patient and cause of death registries provided CVD information. The risk of CVD was assessed using Cox proportional hazards regression, which adjusted for age, calendar year of start of follow-up, parity, polycystic ovarian syndrome diagnosis, chronic hypertension, diabetes, and country.

The key findings of this study were:

The median period of follow-up was 11 (IQR, 5-18) years.

The mean (SD) age of women who did not use ART was 29.1 (4.9) years, whereas those who did used ART were 33.8 (4.7) years.

The overall CVD rate was 153 per 100 000 person-years. Individuals who had children after taking ART showed no increased risk of CVD, with indications of country heterogeneity.

With the use of ART, there were no significant changes in the risk of ischemic heart disease, stroke, cerebrovascular disease, cardiomyopathy, pulmonary embolism, heart failure, or deep vein thrombosis.

However, there was a trend towards a slight decrease in the likelihood of myocardial infarction, with no significant differences between nations.

Reference:

Magnus, M. C., Fraser, A., Håberg, S. E., Rönö, K., Romundstad, L. B., Bergh, C., Spangmose, A. L., Pinborg, A., Åsvold, B. O., Lawlor, D. A., & Opdahl, S. (2023). Maternal Risk of Cardiovascular Disease After Use of Assisted Reproductive Technologies. In JAMA Cardiology. American Medical Association (AMA). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamacardio.2023.2324