This is the first report of pregnancy outcomes in women with heart disease conceiving by ART. This report highlights the complex medical issues facing modern maternal demographics. The results presented in this small series underscore the need for updated information on outcomes in ART-treated women with high-risk medical conditions.
OHSS is a potentially serious complication of ART that may result in fluid shifts, maternal hypotension, thromboembolism, and death. Even mild forms of OHSS may be poorly tolerated in women with ventricular dysfunction, left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, Fontan circulation, or pulmonary arterial hypertension. Moreover, women with heart disease may seek medical attention sooner than those free of heart disease, leading to a high frequency of reported OHSS. Although only women with successful pregnancies were included in this study, ART-treated women with vulnerable heart lesions are at risk of OHSS and thromboembolism, even if pregnancy is not achieved.
Multiple gestations are common in ART pregnancies and are associated with a higher cardiac output compared with single pregnancies. This increased hemodynamic burden can be problematic in women with significant left-sided obstructive valve lesions or left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Multiple pregnancies have higher rates of pre-eclampsia and other morbidities that are poorly tolerated in the setting of pre-existing heart disease.
Pregnancies in women with heart disease are associated with adverse fetal and neonatal outcomes (2 3) ; the frequency of these complications may be even higher in the presence of ART. Putative mechanisms include suboptimal endometrial function at the time of implantation and compromised uteroplacental perfusion.
This study is limited by its retrospective design. It is likely that not all women who had ART during the time period studied were identified by chart review because recruitment occurred in a cardiac clinic where ART information was not routinely collected.
Current practice guidelines address pregnancy risks in women with heart disease. However, more information is urgently needed to help guide medical and obstetric management of women with heart disease treated with ART. The additional potential risks conferred by ART in conjunction with cardiac-specific maternal and fetal risks must be weighed against the desire for pregnancy. Modified ART protocols and close antenatal surveillance at a center with expertise in pregnancy and heart disease are recommended because of high complication rates.