Re: [ozmidwifery] Placenta Praevia & IVF Article

[Jo Bourne]

Aaarrgh! Chapman should know better than to spout this rot:

"As a woman gets older she's more likely to have placenta praevia and obviously 
women who have IVF are older."

The majority of women treated at my clinic are under 35 and I am fairly sure 
IVFA's stats are similar (Chapman's clinic, I think). IVFers have enough 
trouble with the general public thinking IVF is used by "older women who forgot 
to have kids" without Drs adding to this misconception. Most people doing IVF 
are either of average chid bearing age (for our times) or at least started 
trying at an average age and are now "older" because they have been trying so 
damn long.

As for the increased placenta previa - I thought this was already well 
established? I know it was discussed in my support group some time ago. Most 
IVFers who manage to conceive are painfully aware that their risk of 
miscarriage and most other problems are higher than average. There is a reason 
we don't assume pregnancy will be straight forward, or necessarily result in a 
baby.



At 10:10 PM +1000 31/7/06, Kelly @ BellyBelly wrote:
>FYI
> 
>
>Risk of haemorrhage 'increases with IVF'
>
>Clara Pirani, Medical reporter
>May 26, 2006
>
>WOMEN who have IVF treatment are six times more likely to suffer a potentially 
>dangerous condition during pregnancy than those who conceive naturally.
>
>A study of 845,000 births in Norway revealed women who underwent IVF had 
>higher rates of placenta praevia, a condition in which the placenta attaches 
>itself to the lower uterus, blocking the cervix.
>Placenta praevia can cause the mother to haemorrhage before giving birth.
>Researchers from St Olavs University Hospital in Trondheim said the risk of 
>developing placenta praevia increased from three births per 1000 among the 
>general population, to 16 every 1000 with IVF.
>The study, published in the journal Human Reproduction, also found a threefold 
>risk among mothers who had given birth twice, once conceiving naturally and 
>once IVF, or ICSI, in which a sperm is injected directly into an egg.
>The incidence rose from seven in 1000 births for women who had two natural 
>conceptions, to 20 in 1000 births for women who had one natural and one 
>assisted conception.
>"Regardless of whether it was the first or second pregnancy that was conceived 
>through assisted reproduction technology, we found a nearly threefold risk of 
>placenta praevia," said lead researcher Liv Bente Romundstad. "This suggests 
>that a substantial proportion of the extra risk may be attributable directly 
>to factors relating to the reproduction technology."
>The researchers were not sure why IVF increased the risk of placenta praevia.
>However, they suggest it may be caused by anatomical factors that contributed 
>to the women's original infertility, rather than to the IVF procedure itself.
>Alternatively, the embryo may be placed lower in the uterus during IVF to 
>improve implantation rates.
>About 6000 babies a year are born through IVF in Australia.
>Michael Chapman, chairman of the IVF Director's Group, said other factors 
>could account for the higher rate of placenta praevia among women who had IVF.
>"As a woman gets older she's more likely to have placenta praevia and 
>obviously women who have IVF are older.
>"Women who've had any surgery on the uterus, like having fibroids removed, 
>would also have a high chance of placenta praevia."
>Professor Chapman said doctors closely monitored women who develop the 
>condition and those undergoing IVF should not be concerned by the study.
>"In this day and age we have good ultrasound and we tend to diagnose it as 
>early as 18 weeks, and therefore we'd be watching out for it," he said.
>"Later on in pregnancy, if a woman presents with bleeding, it's extremely rare 
>for it to be a catastrophic haemorrhage.
>"Women with placenta praevia are monitored and they will almost always give 
>birth by caesarean section."
> 
> 
>Best Regards,
>
>Kelly Zantey
>Creator, BellyBelly.com.au
>Gentle Solutions From Conception to Parenthood
>BellyBelly
> Birth Support - http://www.bellybelly.com.au/birth-support
> 


-- 
Jo Bourne
Virtual Artists Pty Ltd
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[ozmidwifery] Placenta Praevia & IVF Article

[Kelly @ BellyBelly]

FYI

 

Risk
of haemorrhage 'increases with IVF'

Clara Pirani, Medical reporter


May 26, 2006

WOMEN
who have IVF treatment are six times more likely to suffer a potentially
dangerous condition during pregnancy than those who conceive naturally.

A study of 845,000 births in Norway revealed women who underwent
IVF had higher rates of placenta praevia, a condition in which the placenta
attaches itself to the lower uterus, blocking the cervix. 

Placenta
praevia can cause the mother to haemorrhage before giving birth. 

Researchers
from St Olavs University Hospital in Trondheim
said the risk of developing placenta praevia increased from three births per
1000 among the general population, to 16 every 1000 with IVF. 

The
study, published in the journal Human Reproduction, also found a threefold risk
among mothers who had given birth twice, once conceiving naturally and once
IVF, or ICSI, in which a sperm is injected directly into an egg. 

The
incidence rose from seven in 1000 births for women who had two natural
conceptions, to 20 in 1000 births for women who had one natural and one
assisted conception. 

"Regardless
of whether it was the first or second pregnancy that was conceived through
assisted reproduction technology, we found a nearly threefold risk of placenta
praevia," said lead researcher Liv Bente Romundstad. "This suggests
that a substantial proportion of the extra risk may be attributable directly to
factors relating to the reproduction technology." 

The
researchers were not sure why IVF increased the risk of placenta praevia. 

However,
they suggest it may be caused by anatomical factors that contributed to the
women's original infertility, rather than to the IVF procedure itself. 

Alternatively,
the embryo may be placed lower in the uterus during IVF to improve implantation
rates. 

About
6000 babies a year are born through IVF in Australia. 

Michael
Chapman, chairman of the IVF Director's Group, said other factors could account
for the higher rate of placenta praevia among women who had IVF. 

"As
a woman gets older she's more likely to have placenta praevia and obviously
women who have IVF are older. 

"Women
who've had any surgery on the uterus, like having fibroids removed, would also
have a high chance of placenta praevia." 

Professor
Chapman said doctors closely monitored women who develop the condition and
those undergoing IVF should not be concerned by the study. 

"In
this day and age we have good ultrasound and we tend to diagnose it as early as
18 weeks, and therefore we'd be watching out for it," he said. 

"Later
on in pregnancy, if a woman presents with bleeding, it's extremely rare for it
to be a catastrophic haemorrhage. 

"Women
with placenta praevia are monitored and they will almost always give birth by
caesarean section."

 

 

Best
Regards,

Kelly Zantey
Creator, BellyBelly.com.au 
Gentle Solutions From Conception to Parenthood
BellyBelly Birth Support
- http://www.bellybelly.com.au/birth-support