Journal of Blood & Lymph

Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) and Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART): A Complex Relationship

Abstract

Strina I, Alviggi C, Rosa PD, Avino L, Amoroso R, Marrone V, Mascia M, Cioffi G and Placido GD

Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) seem to have a double way clinical association with hypercoagulation and possible thrombotic complications: venous thromboembolism (VTE) seems to be not frequent complications in women that perform ART but its incidence seem to be increased if compared to that related to spontaneous pregnancy. Several mechanisms support this clinical association such as pharmacological ovarian stimulation and its induced acquired thrombophilia, possible presence of inherited thrombophilia that represents a risk to develop VTE per se and the occurring of pregnancy with its spontaneous hypercoagulable state.
Yet in the daily clinical management the frequent use of antithrombotic drugs as aspirin and low molecular weight heparin to increase the rate of pregnancy after ART procedure may be a confounding factor to support this aspects in this clinical settings.