Comparison of pregnancy outcomes between IVF-ET pregnancies and spontaneous pregnancies in women of advanced maternal age

Aim To explore the impact of IVF on pregnancy complications and birth outcomes in women of advanced maternal age. Methods In this retrospective study, 3325 women were divided into the ART pregnancy group (n = 241) and the natural pregnancy group (n = 3086). The differences in maternal general conditions, pregnancy complications and birth outcomes were compared between the two groups. Results The ART group had higher rates of primiparity (78.4% vs 20.4%), cesarean section (90.5% vs 76.2%) and twin births (28.6% vs 2.1%). The risk of gestational hypertension (5.8% vs 2.9%), preeclampsia (5.0% vs 2.3%) and preterm birth [28 similar to 31 + 6 weeks (2.9% vs 1.1%), 32 similar to 33 + 6 weeks (5.0% vs 1.4%), 34 similar to 36 + 6 weeks (15.8% vs 9.4%)] was significantly higher in the ART group than in the natural pregnancy group. Neonates in the ART group had lower birth weights (2882.61 +/- 657.70 vs 3223.05 +/- 534.28). However, in the singleton-only comparison, only gestational hypertension still showed a statistically significant difference. Conclusions For women of advanced maternal age, IVF-ET pregnancies may result in higher rates of pregnancy complications and adverse birth outcomes, but this is likely to be due to increased rates of multiple pregnancies.

Automated summary

This study aimed to investigate the impact of IVF on pregnancy complications and birth outcomes in women of advanced maternal age. The results showed that the ART group had higher rates of primiparity, cesarean section, twin births, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and preterm birth. Neonates in the ART group had lower birth weights. However, in the singleton-only comparison, only gestational hypertension showed a statistically significant difference.