Women who give birth to babies conceived by in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) are three-times more likely to have a common digestive condition than those who conceive naturally, a first-of-its-kind study has found.
In the study looking at the relative risk of gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GORD) in women who conceive using IVF, researchers found that those who had IVF are at increased risk of experiencing long-term symptoms of GORD.
No differences in GORD prevalence were reported between the women who had IVF and gave birth to single babies and those who gave birth to twins, researchers said.
GORD is a common condition in which acid from the stomach travels up into the oesophagus and causes heartburn, regurgitation and pain when swallowing.
Researchers in Turkey compared two groups of women who had given birth to their first child at least 1 year earlier and found that those who had IVF were three-times more likely to be diagnosed with GORD than those who had conceived naturally.
Pregnancy is a known risk factor for the development of GORD, affecting around half of all pregnant women.
Pregnancy-related GORD is considered to be a temporary problem, although studies suggest that having reflux symptoms during pregnancy predisposes women to having further attacks.
In the study, 156 first-time mothers, of whom 54 had twins and 102 had single babies at least one year earlier after IVF treatment, were interviewed face-to-face to collect data on their pregnancies and any GORD symptoms experienced using a validated reflux questionnaire.
The data was then compared with an age-matched control group of women who had conceived naturally.
The prevalence of GORD at the time of data collection was found to be 13.5 per cent in the group of women who had received IVF compared with just 4.5 per cent in the group of women who had conceived naturally.
In the IVF group, the prevalence of GORD was slightly higher in women who gave birth to twins (14.8 per cent) compared with those who gave birth to single babies (12.7 per cent), but the difference was not statistically significant.
The reasons why women who have IVF might be more prone to developing GORD are not clear, researchers said.
The study authors propose a number of possibilities, including medications taken during IVF (eg high-dose progesterone and oestrogen) that relax the lower esophageal sphincter (LOS), psychological causes associated with fertility issues (eg stress, depression and anxiety), and the possibility that women who undergo IVF may spend long periods of time lying down for fear of miscarriage.
The study was published in the United European Gastroenterology Journal.
