Hypertensive pregnancy complications in poor and normal responders after in vitro fertilization

Objective: To investigate whether women pregnant after a poor response in IVF have pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia more frequently than women with pregnancies after a normal response in IVF. Poor response to ovarian stimulation for IVF reflects advanced ovarian aging, which may be associated with early vascular aging. This may become apparent in an increased incidence of hypertensive pregnancy complications in pregnancies achieved after poor response in IVF. Design: Patient-control study. Setting: Tertiary Fertility Center. Patient(s): One hundred fifty poor (three oocytes or fewer) and 150 normal responders (8-12 oocytes) pregnant after IVF-intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), matched for age, type of infertility, dose of recombinant FSH, singleton or twin pregnancy, and IVF or ICSI treatment. Intervention(s): None. Main Outcome Measure(s): Primary end points were birth weight of the neonate and the incidence of pregnancy-related hypertensive disorders. Secondary end points were duration of pregnancy, type of delivery, and live birth of the neonate. Result(s): Poor and normal responders did not have significantly different incidences in pregnancy-related hypertensive disorders, nor did their neonates differ significantly in birth weight. Moreover, duration of pregnancy, type of delivery, and live birth ratios were similar in both poor and normal responders. Conclusion(s): From this matched control study we were unable to confirm our hypothesis, that women pregnant after a poor response in IVF have pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia more frequently than women with pregnancies after a normal response in IVF. These results do not support a vascular etiology of poor response. (Fertil Steril(R) 2010;93:652-7. (C)2010 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.)