Perinatal outcomes of multiple births conceived through in vitro fertilization compared with spontaneous multiple births

Abstract

Pregnancies that occur after assisted reproduction procedures constitute high-risk pregnancies. There is a lack of sufficient epidemio-logically based data on this issue in Latvia. The aim of this study was to compare the maternal and perinatal outcomes of multiple pregnancies conceived by in vitro fertilization (IVF) in comparison with spontaneous multiple pregnancies. This retrospective cohort study (2007–2014) analysed data from population-based Medical Birth Register (MBR). There is a statistically significant increase of multiple births from IVF pregnancies – an average 2% per year (p< 0.01). Newborns of IVF multiple births have higher odds of low birth weight (OR = 1.2) and congenital anomalies (OR = 1.6). Maternity characteristics showed that mothers in the IVF group were significantly older than those in the control group (≥35 years) (OR = 2.1) and primipara births (OR = 4.1). Multiple births conceived by IVF have similar outcomes as spontaneously conceived multiples in the perinatal period, although the rates of congenital anomalies after IVF are just slightly higher than in control group.