title: Ovarian Stimulation, Intrauterine Insemination, Multiple Pregnancy and Major Congenital Malformations: A Systematic Review and Meta- Analysis- The ART_Rev Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Multiple pregnancies are a recognized adverse effect of assisted reproductive technologies; nevertheless, there is no consensus on the incremental risk associated with the ovarian stimulation (OS) used alone and intrauterine insemination (IUI). The relationship between OS and IUI and the risk of major congenital malformations (MCM) is unclear.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To summarise the literature and evaluate the risk of multiple pregnancy and MCM associated with OS used alone and IUI used with or without OS compared to natural conception (spontaneously conceived infants without any type of fertility treatments).
  
  
  METHODS
  We carried out a systematic review to identify published papers between 1966 and 2014 in MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. We included observational studies and randomized clinical trials related to the risk of multiple pregnancies and MCM conceived following OS alone or IUI compared to natural conception (spontaneously conceived infants without any fertility treatments). The quality of the included studies was evaluated using The Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias for RCTs and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for observational studies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 63 studies included in this review. Our systematic review suggests that the use of any OS alone was associated with an increased risk of multiple pregnancy compared to natural conception (pooled RR 8.80, 95% CI 5.09- 15.20; p= 0.000; 9 studies). Similar increases in the risk of multiple pregnancies were observed following clomiphene citrate used without assisted reproductive technologies. Compared to natural conception, the use of IUI with or without OS was associated with an increased risk of multiple pregnancy (pooled RR 9.73, 95% CI 7.52 -12.60; p= 0.000; 6 studies). Compared to natural conception, the use of any OS alone was associated with an increased risk of any MCM (RR pooled 1.18, 95%CI 1.03-1.36; 11 studies), major musculoskeletal malformations (pooled RR 1.48, 95%CI 1.21-1.81; 7 studies), and malformations of the nervous system (pooled RR 1.73, 95%CI 1.15-2.61; 6 studies). Compared to natural conception, the use of IUI was associated with an increased risk of any MCM (pooled RR 1.23, 95%CI 1.10-1.37; 10 studies), major urogenital (pooled RR 1.52, 95%CI 1.04-2.22; 7 studies), and musculoskeletal malformations (pooled RR 1.54, 95%CI 1.20-1.98; 7 studies). The overall quality of the included studies was acceptable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The increased risk of multiple pregnancy and certain types of MCM associated with the use of less invasive fertility treatments, such as OS and IUI, found in this review, highlights the importance of the practice framing. Heterogeneity in OS protocols, the combination with other fertility agents, the limited number of studies and the methodological quality differences reduce our ability to draw conclusions on specific treatment. More observational studies, assessing the risk of multiple pregnancy or MCM, as a primary outcome, using standardized methodologies, in larger and better clinically defined populations are needed.
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chaabane
authors.forename: Odile
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sheehy
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Monnier
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bissonnette
authors.forename: Jaquetta M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Trasler
authors.forename: Flory T
authors.initials: FT
authors.lastname: Muanda
authors.forename: Takoua
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Boukhris
authors.forename: Fatiha
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Karam
authors.forename: Fabiano
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.forename: Lucie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Blais
authors.affiliation: Sainte-Justine Hospital, Research Center, 3175, chemin de la Côte-Ste-Catherine, Montreal (Quebec) H3T 1C5. anick.berard@umontreal.ca.
authors.forename: Anick
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bérard
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005300:Fertility Agents, Female / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D007314:Insemination / Q000187:drug effects; D010062:Ovulation Induction / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000639:trends; D011247:Pregnancy; D011272:Pregnancy, Multiple / Q000187:drug effects; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D005300:Fertility Agents, Female