Donor eggs may cause pregnancy complication, suggests study

A small study suggests that women who make use of donated eggs to get pregnant via in vitro fertilization (IVF) may experience pregnancy complications, versus when they use traditional IVF, or using their own eggs.

Traditional IVF, wherein an egg is fertilized outside the body then placed inside the uterus, has already roused speculation for possibly causing preeclampsia, a condition wherein the pregnant woman’s blood pressure rises dramatically in her second or third trimester and her kidneys failing in protein retention. Cases of preeclampsia also pose high risk for premature delivery and death for mother and/or fetus if left untreated.

Experts suspect that IVF using donated eggs may further increase the risk for preeclampsia, but confirm the need for more studies.

Their study involved comparing 77 women who gave birth using donated eggs between 1998 and 2005 versus women who resorted to traditional IVF. Results showed that around 5 percent of the women who used their own eggs developed preeclampsia, whereas among those using donor eggs, 17 percent were diagnosed with preeclampsia.

The results also showed that those who used frozen eggs which were then thawed for IVF were at higher risk for preeclampsia than those who were using fresh eggs. Dr. Peter Klatsky, lead author of the paper from Women and Infants Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island, confirms that this is something medical experts should also be looking into.

As many as 8 percent of women around the world suffer from preeclampsia, which has long been an untreatable and unpredictable condition. Recent developments, though, may be able to provide a way to predict preeclampsia as early as 12-14 weeks into the pregnancy.

Click here to learn more about donor eggs and preeclampsia complications.

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Read on to learn more about donor eggs and preeclampsia complications.

Related studies, in which the IVF involved donor sperm and pregnancy brought about by a new sexual partner showed higher rates of preeclampsia than other pregnant women. Scientists associate this condition to the immune system’s failure to recognize foreign cells in the body.

We know that the immune response is important for both implantation and development of the fetus," says Dr. Sacha Krieg, an obstetrician at the Kansas University Medical Center.

Klansky reminds everyone to not react to this study by being scared of using donor eggs, rather, the challenge lies more with the doctors to be aware of their patients’ condition and alert them to possible risks during their pregnancy. They should also closely monitor the response of the immune system in pregnant women. "This is exciting because it sheds new light on to a potential cause of this common disease," he adds.


Photo from images.wellcome.ac.uk

SOURCES:
•    November 25, 2010. “Donor eggs may be linked to pregnancy complication” kdwzmusic.com
•    December 1, 2010. “Small Study Looks At The Risks of Complications From Donated Eggs” GrowingYourBaby.com