In vitro fertilization in Sweden: maternal characteristics.
BACKGROUND
Deliveries among women who had an in vitro fertilization (IVF) are characterized by increased risks for both the mother and the infant/child. Part of these effects may be due to maternal characteristics.


METHODS
Using reports from all clinics performing IVF in Sweden, 12 186 women who gave birth after such procedures were identified (13 261 deliveries, 16 280 infants born). Various social and medical characteristics of the women were studied and compared with all women giving birth. Information was retrieved by interviews in early pregnancy or by linkage with various registers.


RESULTS
Women who had IVF were older than other women who gave birth and were older after standard IVF than after intracytoplasmatic sperm injection (ICSI). They were more often of first parity and smoked less than other delivered women. There were more women with high body mass index: they worked outside home less often and were more often of Swedish nationality. Women who had standard IVF had more previous miscarriages than expected, but this was not true for women who had ICSI. Their pattern of drug usage differed from that of other women who had given birth.


CONCLUSIONS
Women who underwent IVF and gave birth showed marked deviations from other women who gave birth. Some of these characteristics may help to explain the increased risks associated with these procedures. Women who had ICSI were less deviating than women who had standard IVF.
Källén
Bengt
B
Tornblad Institute, University of Lund, Biskopsgatan 7, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden. embryol@embryol.lu.se
Finnström
Orvar
O
Nygren
Karl-Gösta
KG
Otterblad Olausson
Petra
P
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers; D011247:Pregnancy; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology