Women Who Miscarry After First Round Of IVF 'More Likely To Have A Baby' After Further Treatment | HuffPost Life

'We hope our findings will provide reassurance to these couples.'

By

Life editor at HuffPost UK

Women who miscarry during their first full round of IVF are more likely to have a baby after further treatment, than women who don’t get pregnant at all, a study has found.

Researchers from the University of Aberdeen, who studied more than 100,000 women, hope the findings will provide comfort to those who are devastated when a much-desired IVF pregnancy ends in a miscarriage.

The study found that the chance of having a baby through further cycles of IVF was 10% higher for women who had previously suffered a miscarriage, than for those who had not become pregnant.

“Miscarriage can be a devastating experience for any couple, but especially for those who have already struggled with infertility,” said Natalie Cameron from the University of Aberdeen, who carried out the study.

“We hope our findings will provide reassurance to these couples as they consider their options for continuing treatment.”

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The study, carried out by 4th year medical student Cameron and led by Dr David McLernon, Prof Siladitya Bhattacharya, and Dr Sohinee Bhattacharya, examined data from more than 112,000 women who started IVF treatment between 1999 and 2008.

Overall, 25.7% of women had a miscarriage in the first full round of IVF, regardless of whether or not they also had a live birth. Of these, 9,321 women (8.3%) had at least one miscarriage and no live birth.

The study found that the chance of having a baby over two further full cycles of IVF was 40.9% in women who miscarried during their first full cycle of IVF, but only 30.1% in those who did not get pregnant at all.

Women who had a live birth following their first full cycle of IVF had a 49% chance of having a live birth in subsequent IVF cycles, i.e. when trying for a second child.

What is the success rate of IVF?
The latest official success rates of IVF, as reported by NHS Choices are as follows:
32.2% for women under 35
27.7% for women aged 35-37
20.8% for women aged 38-39
13.6% for women aged 40-42
5% for women aged 43-44
1.9% for women aged over 44.
NB: This does not take into account how many rounds of IVF the women had.

In July 2017, scientists at the Glasgow Centre for Reproductive Medicine revealed a blood test could reveal the likelihood of an IVF pregnancy ending in miscarriage.

The scientists studied hormone levels in nearly 2,000 pregnant patients who had been through IVF. They found low levels of the hormone βHCG (Beta-human Chorionic Gonadotrophin) were linked to an increased risk of miscarriage.

“The βHCG level gives us a clear guide, helping us to counsel patients about the likelihood of a miscarriage, which in turn will help us to better prepare patients psychologically and emotionally,” said Marco Gaudoin, from GCRM, at the time.

Before You Go

10 Things You May Not Know About Your Fertility

(01 of10)

1. Your fertility is mostly determined by genetics, which influences how many eggs you are born with. Doctors believe that the number of eggs you have at birth determines the length of time you will remain fertile. At birth, women have about two million eggs in their ovaries. For every egg ovulated during your reproductive life, about 1,000 eggs undergo programmed cell death. Other things, such as smoking cigarettes and certain types of chemotherapy, can accelerate egg cell death and promote an earlier menopause.

(02 of10)

2. Regular menstrual cycles are a sign of regular ovulation.Most women have regular cycles lasting between 24 and 35 days. This is usually a sign of regular, predictable ovulation. Women who do not ovulate regularly have irregular menstrual cycles. Those who do not ovulate at all may have a genetic condition called polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

(03 of10)

3. Basal temperature charting does not predict ovulation.An older method of tracking ovulation involves taking your oral body temperature each morning before getting out of bed. This is called basal body temperature. This method is used to spot a rise in basal temperature, which is a sign that progesterone is being produced. The main problem with using this method is that your temperature rises after ovulation has already occurred. This makes it more difficult to time intercourse at an optimal time for conception. A better method is to use over-the-counter urine ovulation predictor test kits such as Clearblue Easy. These kits test for the hormone that prompts ovulation, which is called luteinizing hormone (LH).

(04 of10)

4. Most women with blocked fallopian tubes are completely unaware they may have had a prior pelvic infection.About 10 percent of infertility cases are due to tubal disease, either complete blockage or pelvic scarring causing tubal malfunction. One major cause of tubal disease is a prior pelvic infection from a sexually transmitted disease such as chlamydia. These infections can cause so few symptoms that you may be completely unaware your tubes are affected. This is why fertility physicians will order a dye test of the tubes, called a hysterosalpingogram (HSG), if you have been trying and failing to conceive for 6 months or longer.

(05 of10)

5. In most cases, stress does not cause infertility. Except in rare cases of extreme physical or emotional distress, women will keep ovulating regularly. Conceiving while on vacation is likely less about relaxation than about coincidence and good timing of sex.

(06 of10)

6. By age 44, most women are infertile, even if they are still ovulating regularly. Even with significant fertility treatment, rates of conception are very low after age 43. Most women who conceive in their mid-40s with fertility treatment are using donated eggs from younger women.

(07 of10)

7. Having fathered a pregnancy in the past does not guarantee fertility. Sperm counts can change quite a bit with time, so never assume that a prior pregnancy guarantees fertile sperm. Obtaining a semen analysis is the only way to be sure the sperm are still healthy!

(08 of10)

8. For the most part, diet has little or nothing to do with fertility. Despite popular press, there is little scientific data showing that a particular diet or food promotes fertility. One limited study did suggest a Mediterranean diet with olive oil, fish and legumes may help promote fertility.

(09 of10)

9. Vitamin D may improve results of fertility treatments. A recent study from the University of Southern California suggested that women who were undergoing fertility treatments, but had low vitamin D levels, might have lower rates of conception. This vitamin is also essential during pregnancy. At Pacific Fertility Center, we recommend our patients take 2,000-4,000 IU per day.

(10 of10)

10. Being either underweight or overweight is clearly linked with lowered levels of fertility. The evidence in recent years is that obesity is clearly linked with a longer time to conception. Having a body mass index less than 18 or over 32 is associated with problems ovulating and conceiving, as well as problems during pregnancy.

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