Does the History of Induced Abortion Affect the Outcomes of Assisted Reproduction?

ObjectiveParticularly in countries where it is forbidden, it is not uncommon for some type of sequelae to appear after an abortion is induced, which leads to difficulties in getting pregnant. However, women often experience guilt after undergoing an induced abortion. This guilt may resurge, sometimes more strongly, if the woman presents fertility problems. In fact, many women attribute treatment failures to some type of “punishment”. This study compared outcomes of IVF / ICSI cycle in women with and without a history of induced abortion.DesignMatched control study.Materials and MethodsA total of 276 couples submitted to IVF/ICSI were divided into two groups matched by female age according to the women’s history:-with at least one induced abortion (n = 138)-without history of induced abortion (n = 138)Patients with endometrial pathologies or hydrosalpinx were excluded. The procedures were performed under the same laboratory conditions for both groups. The cumulative results from fresh and frozen cycles were analyzed.ResultsTabled 1Table 1: ResultsInduced abortionyesnoPWomen age(years)37.4±4.437.4±4.40.98Men age(years)40.1±7.140.1±7.40.95Induced abortions (n)1.2±0.4----Transfers(n)2.2±1.62.0±1.20.32Pregnancy rate/ transfer20.1%18.0%0.60Pregnancy rate/ patient44.2%35.5%0.17Miscarriage rate22.9%18.4%0.72Patient with at least on live birth33.3%33.3%1.0 Open table in a new tab ConclusionInduced abortion does not appear to be an important factor that influences the clinical outcomes of IVF. Psychological sequelae following induced abortion may be responsible for the exacerbated negative emotional feelings that patients experience with treatment failure. ObjectiveParticularly in countries where it is forbidden, it is not uncommon for some type of sequelae to appear after an abortion is induced, which leads to difficulties in getting pregnant. However, women often experience guilt after undergoing an induced abortion. This guilt may resurge, sometimes more strongly, if the woman presents fertility problems. In fact, many women attribute treatment failures to some type of “punishment”. This study compared outcomes of IVF / ICSI cycle in women with and without a history of induced abortion. Particularly in countries where it is forbidden, it is not uncommon for some type of sequelae to appear after an abortion is induced, which leads to difficulties in getting pregnant. However, women often experience guilt after undergoing an induced abortion. This guilt may resurge, sometimes more strongly, if the woman presents fertility problems. In fact, many women attribute treatment failures to some type of “punishment”. This study compared outcomes of IVF / ICSI cycle in women with and without a history of induced abortion. DesignMatched control study. Matched control study. Materials and MethodsA total of 276 couples submitted to IVF/ICSI were divided into two groups matched by female age according to the women’s history:-with at least one induced abortion (n = 138)-without history of induced abortion (n = 138)Patients with endometrial pathologies or hydrosalpinx were excluded. The procedures were performed under the same laboratory conditions for both groups. The cumulative results from fresh and frozen cycles were analyzed. A total of 276 couples submitted to IVF/ICSI were divided into two groups matched by female age according to the women’s history: -with at least one induced abortion (n = 138) -without history of induced abortion (n = 138) Patients with endometrial pathologies or hydrosalpinx were excluded. The procedures were performed under the same laboratory conditions for both groups. The cumulative results from fresh and frozen cycles were analyzed. ResultsTabled 1Table 1: ResultsInduced abortionyesnoPWomen age(years)37.4±4.437.4±4.40.98Men age(years)40.1±7.140.1±7.40.95Induced abortions (n)1.2±0.4----Transfers(n)2.2±1.62.0±1.20.32Pregnancy rate/ transfer20.1%18.0%0.60Pregnancy rate/ patient44.2%35.5%0.17Miscarriage rate22.9%18.4%0.72Patient with at least on live birth33.3%33.3%1.0 Open table in a new tab ConclusionInduced abortion does not appear to be an important factor that influences the clinical outcomes of IVF. Psychological sequelae following induced abortion may be responsible for the exacerbated negative emotional feelings that patients experience with treatment failure. Induced abortion does not appear to be an important factor that influences the clinical outcomes of IVF. Psychological sequelae following induced abortion may be responsible for the exacerbated negative emotional feelings that patients experience with treatment failure.