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The biggest study ever conducted on fertility treatment worldwide observed an increased risk of ovarian cancer in women undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF).
Led by Institute of Child Health professor Dr. Alastair Sutcliffe, researchers from University College London found the increased risk in women undergoing assisted reproductive technologies (ART), in both those who had no children and those with endometriosis being treated for infertility.
Of more than 250,000 women who underwent ART in the United Kingdom between 1991 and 2010, 386 ovarian cancers were recorded – a one-third greater chance of developing the disease compared to the general female population.
While underlying health issues in infertile females may be causing the increased risk, the research was open about IVF itself being the potential culprit.
However, the risk remained relatively small, with just 15 in every 10,000 women developing ovarian cancer over the duration of the study. This is in contrast with about 11 in 10,000 of the general population.
Prof. Sutcliffe, presenting the groundbreaking study at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine conference in Baltimore in the United States, called the findings “mixed news” for patients.
Read full, original post: Women Who Undergo IVF A Third More Likely To Develop Ovarian Cancer
