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High risks associated with egg donation among women with Turner’s syndrome
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13th European Congress of Endocrinology
Women with Turner’s syndrome who attempt pregnancy via egg donation may put both themselves and the baby at risk, according to a multicenter study presented at the 13th European Congress of Endocrinology.
“Most women with Turner’s syndrome are infertile. However, this work shows that for women who have Turner’s syndrome, pregnancy is a high-risk option, both for the mother and the baby,” Patrick Fenichel, MD, PhD, an endocrinologist in the department of reproductive endocrinology, University Hospital of Nice, France, said in a press release.
For the current study, researchers followed the pregnancies (beyond 20 weeks gestation) of 93 mothers with Turner’s syndrome who achieved pregnancy via oocyte donation and were cared for at French centers for assisted reproduction. In 37.8% of pregnancies, the mothers suffered from pregnancy-associated hypertensive disorders, including preeclampsia in 54.8% of cases and severe eclampsia in four cases. The researchers also found that 38.3% of babies were born premature and 27.5% suffered from in utero growth retardation. Two mothers died related to an aorta rupture after giving birth by cesarean section, and a fetal death was linked to eclampsia in the mother.
“Only 40% of the pregnancies we studied produced an absolutely normal outcome for both mother and baby,” Fenichel said.
The researchers also examined the extent to which current recommendations were followed before, during and after pregnancy. They found that only 37.6% of the pregnant women were prescreened with echocardiography or thoracic MRI.
“It is important that women with Turner’s syndrome who undergo egg donation have their cardiac function monitored before, during and after pregnancy, and that they are very closely monitored by their physician throughout and after pregnancy,” Fenichel said.
Based on the data from this study, the researchers plan to examine whether eclampsia is linked to Turner’s syndrome or to oocyte donation, as well methods to better monitor women with Turner’s syndrome during pregnancy, delivery and the postpartum period.
For more information:
- Chevalier N. OC3.6. Presented at: 13th European Congress of Endocrinology; April 30-May 4, 2011; Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
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