Is a Fetal Echocardiography Necessary in IVF-ICSI Pregnancies After Anatomic Survey?

Assisted Reproductive Techniques and Risk of Congenital Heart Diseases in Children: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Infertility is a growing phenomenon and leads to an increased use of assisted reproductive techniques (ARTs). In recent years, concerns about the safety of these procedures emerged and ARTs were hypothesized to be a risk factor for developing congenital heart diseases (CHDs) in offspring. Our aim is to investigate the association between ART and CHD, specifying results according to various subtypes of defects. We performed a systematic review and random-effects meta-analysis following the PRISMA guidelines. MEDLINE and Google Scholar were searched from January 2011 to May 2022. Data about incidence of CHD in ART were tabulated and extracted from all the studies included. Twenty-four studies were included. Pooled incidence of CHDs after IVF pregnancies was 3% (95% CI 0.3-0.4; I2 = 99%), decreasing to 1% (95% CI 0.00-0.01; I2 = 93%) for major CHDs only. An increased risk of CHDs, especially minor (i.e., not requiring surgical correction), seems to occur in ART compared with non-ART pregnancies [RR 1.71 (95% CI 1.25-2.34; I2 = 99%)]. For major CHDs, not enough evidence is available to assess the real risk. Moreover, some confounding factors (i.e., maternal age and male infertility) seem to play a critical role to determine an increased risk of CHDs. Conflicting results emerged among the studies, setting the need for further research to validate the actual evidence and state the real risk of CHD following ART pregnancies.

Prenatal Detection of Congenital Heart Disease: Importance of Fetal Echocardiography Following Normal Fetal Cardiac Screening

Fetal echocardiography may be performed because of noncardiac indications (the pregnancy is identified as high risk for fetal cardiac disease), or because of fetal cardiac indications (abnormal fetal heart at the time of a screening ultrasound). Considering recent improvements in fetal cardiac screening over the past decade, the goal of this single institution study was to reconsider the importance of performing fetal echocardiography purely for screening (noncardiac) indications. We performed a retrospective analysis to review screening and fetal cardiac indications and fetal cardiac findings for fetal echocardiograms performed at UCLA between 2015 and 2019. Fetal heart disease was identified in 391 (15%) of 2592 pregnancies in this study. Among these 391 cases, 227 (58%) occurred in low-risk pregnancies (without screening indications). While 79% of the cases of fetal cardiac disease were referred with fetal cardiac indications, 21% of the cases were referred with exclusively screening indications. Fetal cardiac disease was discovered on fetal echocardiograms in 4% of pregnancies referred for exclusively screening indications, but the frequency of fetal cardiac disease following normal fetal cardiac screening has decreased from 6% in 2015 to 3% in 2019. In our population, we recommend continued referral for fetal echocardiography for pregnancies identified as high risk for CHD. However, as fetal cardiac screening continues to improve, referral for fetal echocardiography following normal fetal cardiac screening will have diminishing value and yield.

Prevalence of Congenital Heart Defects in Pregnancies Conceived by Assisted Reproductive Technology: A Cohort Study

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY

Pregnancies obtained by assisted reproductive technology (ART) are associated with an increased risk of complications and congenital anomalies, particularly congenital heart defects (CHDs). Therefore, our aim is to evaluate, retrospectively, the prevalence of CHD in ART pregnancies in our two centers and analyze their characteristics and outcomes.

METHODS

Observational study including fetuses conceived by ART referred between June 2011 and September 2020 and undergoing a fetal cardiac ultrasound scan. Cases with genetic, chromosomal abnormalities or extracardiac malformations were excluded. Population included 1511 pregnancies, which consisted of 269 twins and 1242 singletons, 547 IVF (in vitro fertilization), 773 ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) and 191 oocyte donations (OD).

RESULTS

CHDs were found in 29 fetuses, with an overall prevalence of 1.92% (29/1511), 1.85% (23/1242) in singletons and 2.23% in twins (6/269). Thirteen were IVF, eight ICSI and eight OD cases, with a greater risk of CHD after IVF and OD (IVF: 13/29 (44.8%)-one twin; ICSI: 8/29 (27.6%)-three twins); 22 had major and 7 minor defects. Two pregnancies with a hypoplastic left heart were terminated; the majority of live-born cases needed surgery. Three babies died (two post-surgery, one had a late death).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data show an increased prevalence of CHD after ART with a heterogeneous spectrum of diagnoses, mainly major defects.

Prevalence of Congenital Heart Defects in Pregnancies Conceived by Assisted Reproductive Technology: A Cohort Study

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY

Pregnancies obtained by assisted reproductive technology (ART) are associated with an increased risk of complications and congenital anomalies, particularly congenital heart defects (CHDs). Therefore, our aim is to evaluate, retrospectively, the prevalence of CHD in ART pregnancies in our two centers and analyze their characteristics and outcomes.

METHODS

Observational study including fetuses conceived by ART referred between June 2011 and September 2020 and undergoing a fetal cardiac ultrasound scan. Cases with genetic, chromosomal abnormalities or extracardiac malformations were excluded. Population included 1511 pregnancies, which consisted of 269 twins and 1242 singletons, 547 IVF (in vitro fertilization), 773 ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) and 191 oocyte donations (OD).

RESULTS

CHDs were found in 29 fetuses, with an overall prevalence of 1.92% (29/1511), 1.85% (23/1242) in singletons and 2.23% in twins (6/269). Thirteen were IVF, eight ICSI and eight OD cases, with a greater risk of CHD after IVF and OD (IVF: 13/29 (44.8%)-one twin; ICSI: 8/29 (27.6%)-three twins); 22 had major and 7 minor defects. Two pregnancies with a hypoplastic left heart were terminated; the majority of live-born cases needed surgery. Three babies died (two post-surgery, one had a late death).

CONCLUSIONS

Our data show an increased prevalence of CHD after ART with a heterogeneous spectrum of diagnoses, mainly major defects.

The association between in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment and the risk of congenital heart defects

OBJECTIVE

Assisted reproductive technology (ART), an effective treatment modality for infertility, is associated with a higher prevalence of congenital anomalies such as congenital heart defects (CHDs). The present study aimed to evaluate data linking CHDs in infants to pregnancies resulting from in vitro fertilization (IVF) and/or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

METHODS

In this study, we conducted a systematic literature search on CHDs in infants following IVF/ICSI in Google Scholar, Embase, Scopus, MEDLINE, and PubMed databases from inception to February 2020. The search strategy used combinations of search keywords that included assisted reproductive technology/ART, in vitro fertilization/IVF, intracytoplasmic sperm injection/ICSI, birth defect, congenital malformation, and congenital heart defects.

RESULTS

Fifty-six studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were selected in the current systematic review, which assessed the association between ART and the risk of CHDs.

CONCLUSION

Children conceived by IVF/ICSI manifested an increased risk of CHDs compared with spontaneously conceived children. Further studies are needed to assess the long-term cardiovascular safety of these techniques, which is important for the counseling of patients before the use of ART.

Utility of routine screening fetal echocardiogram in pregnancies conceived by in vitro fertilization

OBJECTIVE

To study the incidence and clinical significance of congenital heart defects (CHDs) detected by fetal echocardiography in pregnancies conceived by in vitro fertilization (IVF).

DESIGN

Cohort study comparing a prospectively maintained database of all fetal echocardiograms from 2012 to 2018 and pooled data from the Connecticut Birth Defects Registry and statewide hospital discharge data.

SETTING

Large tertiary care center.

PATIENT(S)

A total of 181,749 live births and 9,252 fetal echocardiograms were analyzed. Fetal echocardiograms in patients with a previous child with a CHD, a family history of CHD, medication exposure, diabetes, anomaly in previous pregnancy, cardiac or other abnormality noted on previous ultrasound, or monochorionic twins were excluded from the final analysis.

INTERVENTION(S)

Treatment with IVF.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)

Incidence of CHD and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Infant outcomes for cases of CHD were evaluated for clinically significant disease, defined a priori as disease requiring any medical or surgical intervention or continued follow-up with pediatric cardiology.

RESULT(S)

Fetal echocardiography was performed in 2,230 IVF pregnancies, of which 2,040 were without other known risk factors for CHD. The mean gestational age at the time of fetal echocardiography was 22.2 ± 1.4 weeks. The odds ratio for CHD in the IVF group compared with statewide population rates was 1.4 (95% CI 0.9-2.1). CHD was diagnosed in 26 fetuses, of which 21 were clinically insignificant ventricular septal defects. One fetal echocardiogram was concerning for pulmonary stenosis that was not present at birth. Four defects were clinically significant, indicating that 510 fetal echocardiograms were performed for every diagnosis of one clinically significant CHD in the IVF group.

CONCLUSION(S)

The incidence of CHD in IVF pregnancies without other risk factors is not significantly different from baseline population rates, and most CHDs diagnosed by fetal echocardiography in this group are clinically insignificant. Routine screening with fetal echocardiography in all IVF pregnancies provides limited utility beyond routine prenatal care and need not be recommended without the presence of other risk factors.