Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a gynecological disorder that may not be too well known, but it affects the lives of around 5 million women in the United States alone. Common symptoms of PCOS are ovarian cysts and highly irregular periods, which lead to infertility in majority of the women who are afflicted with the disorder.
Due to the high rate of infertility after being diagnosed with this disorder, many women look to alternatives to conceiving; namely, IVF. Heartbreakingly, many of the women who look to take advantage of advanced fertility treatments like IVF still struggle to conceive.
As hard as it is to dwell on a woman’s infertility, new research published in The New England Journal of Medicine has revealed some potentially exciting information for women with PCOS who dream of having children biologically.
In this new study, researchers analyzed 1,500 women who suffer from infertility and PCOS, and found that those who received IVF treatment were more likely to conceive if frozen embryos were implanted, instead of fresh embryos. Interestingly, 49% of women who used frozen embryos were able to conceive on the first try. On the other hand, only 42% of women who used fresh embryos were able to conceive on the first try. Findings also showed that those who used frozen embryos had less miscarriages.
In spite of these revealing findings, researchers still point out the detriments of implanting frozen embryos. One common problem that women who used frozen embryos faced more often than other women was preeclampsia. for those who don’t know, preeclampsia is a disorder which leads to high blood pressure in expecting mothers, and an excess amount of protein in the urine.
Moreover, in a tragic turn of events, the mortality rate of frozen embryo newborns left much to be desired. Sadly enough, five of the newborns (of frozen embryos) passed away, while all of the fresh embryo newborns survived.
Dr. Christos Coutifaris of University of Pennsylvania wrote an editorial in the research, and mentioned that this research alone may not be “significant enough” to encourage women to only use frozen embryos. Dr. Coutifaris mentioned that a 42% pregnancy rate is still great news, and that “In selected cases, especially for women who [have Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome as a result of PCOS], the approach to freeze all the embryos is prudent.”
The fact of the matter is that women who suffer from PCOS are slowly finding viable options to conceive! Through the use of frozen embryos, women with PCOS are finding it possible to conceive, and while there are still negatives and detriments to go along with these new findings, that’s still good news for hopeful mothers!
This story was originally shared by Hello Giggles
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