Are Fertility Drugs Too Risky?

Posted by Joanna Karpasea-Jones Nov 4, 2006

In September, UK fertility specialists warned that fertility drugs may not actually increase a woman's chances of conceiving.

As well as the lack of evidence at them assisting in fertility, they can cause serious side-effects including ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, which in rare cases, can kill.

Dr. Geeta Nargund, head of reproductive medicine at St. George’s Hospital in London, said

'There are concerns regarding stimulating ovaries to produce more eggs. There may be consequences for a woman’s reproductive organs later in life, in particular uterine cancer and we urgently need to fund studies to test these suspicions. Women are going around from clinic to clinic and receiving different doses of these drugs but there is no sound scientific evidence to show that it will help improve their chances of conceiving.'

A Finnish study of 2005, showed that 43 out of every 1000 IVF babies conceived, had some type of disability.

But for many women, the pain of being infertile is huge and the discomforts of IVF drugs a small price to pay for a beautiful baby.