Help - increased risk of MC and Down's with IUI?

[Harriet75C]

I just got a letter from the fertility clinic that says, as well as outlining the agreed next steps, that as part of the consultation they had explained the risks of the procedure to us, including the increased risk of miscarriage and Down's.

They didn't actually mention anything about either, so now I'm really worried and was hoping that someone out there could explain that to me.

So if anyone out there knows something, please share...

Hi Harriet

As far as I'm aware the stats for working this out are slightly skewed for increased chance of Downs as the average age of an iui patient is slightly higher - therefore Downs WILL be more of a risk.

The increased chance of mc is sadly true - but again, the stats are slightly skewed because mc rates are naturally higher in women with pcos anyway and many iui patients suffer from pcos.

There is also an increased risk of ectopic which should have been explained to you as well, you should read up on the signs of ectopic just so you know what the symptoms are.

I'm currently on my 3rd cycle of iui - the above is just my own understanding, somebody may well be able to shed some proper medical light on the increased rates for you.

If you want to hear my experience of iui then just shout, will happily share,

don't worry, age is the primary indicator for Down's, and even at 40 it is still less than 1%. Miscarriage is a risk in any pregnancy and any increased chance from IUI has got to be marginal. (I've never even heard that before and I've had two naturally conceived miscarriages, as well as subsequent IUI and IVF.)

You can also assess miscarriage rates by looking at your clinic's, or the HFEA's data, on success rates as measured by a pregnancy test or a live birth. At a glance, these don't seem to indicate any significant rise in miscarraige in assisted vs. natural conceptions.

The HFEA has the following to say:
Birth defects

The risk of birth defects in the general population is low: two per cent of children in Europe are born with birth defects. Although some research suggests that fertility treatment may be associated with an increased incidence of birth defects, this risk remains low.

Research to date does not show with absolute certainty that any increased risk is due to fertility treatment. Other causes cannot be discounted, including underlying subfertility in the parents, their age and unexplored factors.

Research into the area is ongoing and, in order to make sure patients understand the risks of fertility treatment, we keep research of this kind under review.

thanks guys.

i thought it was probably just the age and contraindications 'cos it was hard to get pg in the first place, but it was a bit unexpected to see it as specific risks in the letter and shocked me a bit!

picknmix anything you ahve to share would be gratefully received! am a bit new to all this stuff as although we've been ttc for 7 years we've only just been to the clinic (I had a naturally conceived mc a couple of weeks ago so they thought we should try iui first and then move on to ivf if it was unsuccessful). we're going to have a stimulated cycle with 100mg clomid. never had any fertility drugs before and i've read some horro stories about clomid, so any reassurance would be welcome :)

I apologise, I meant to post before now!!

I was terrified of taking clomid because of all the horror stories I'd read - damn Google! The truth is, it was fine for me. The biggest side effect I suffered was hot flushes - seriously, one minute fine, the next sweating like I'd run a marathon!

I also had mood swings BUT I do wonder how much of that was just the whole stress of ttc. Was good to be able to shout at dh and then blame the tablets though!

Again, when I started IUI and had clomid plus injections (I have Puregonn and Pregnyl) the anticipation was worse than the actual event. Yes, they alter your mood and yes, its no fun whatsoever but it is doable. Just make sure you numb the injection site with ice before - especially in hot weather.

I was grumpy and tearful on the Puregon, which is faintly ridiculous when ttc, never before have I felt less interested in having sex!

The actual IUI procedure was ok - but much more painful than I was expecting. Something to do with my cervix not pointing the right way so it had to be winched round. I usually have quite a high pain threshold but this did more than make my eyes water! Didn't last long though and the cramps after last for a day. Some people say they went back to work after but there's no way I could have.

Each time I said 'never again' yet I'm on my third round now (and in the 2ww!).

Best of luck and hope all goes well for you.