April 16, 2024
Researchers tackle intersection of fertility treatment and cardiovascular health
Infertility is a growing problem that affects an estimated one in six Canadian individuals. The use of fertility treatment is also growing. Assisted reproductive technology (ART)鈥攖he most common of which is in-vitro fertilization (IVF)鈥 offers hope to thousands of Canadian couples each year.
However, despite their mainstream use, experts know very little about the long-term impacts of ART on the cardiovascular health of mothers and their children. It鈥檚 a concern, because other hormone-based treatments, such as contraception use and menopausal hormone therapy, are known to impact cardiovascular health.
Fertility and pregnancy are also important considerations when it comes to cardiovascular health. These female-specific reproductive factors all have one thing in common: they are intricately linked with sex hormones.
Elaha Niazi, a fourth-year student in the 草莓污视频导航鈥檚 Health Sciences program, along with her supervisor Dr. Sandra Dumanski, MD, recently examined what science has revealed about the cardiovascular implications of ART. Their review, in a special edition of the Canadian Journal of Cardiology Open focusing on women鈥檚 cardiovascular health, revealed more work needs to be done in this area.
鈥淐ardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death of females globally,鈥 says Niazi. 鈥淲e know that women of childbearing age are the only group experiencing an increase in the rate of cardiovascular mortality and cardiovascular-related hospitalization. This may be, in part, related to female sex-related cardiovascular risk factors that are specific to premenopausal women. These factors have been overlooked for quite some time, which is why further research in this area is so critical.鈥
Niazi notes the findings don鈥檛 suggest women should avoid ART, but merely that more scientific investigation is needed to empower women with the knowledge they need to make informed choices for their health.
When asked why this area has been neglected, Niazi says, 鈥渃ardiovascular health in females in general hasn鈥檛 been a priority for researchers, because cardiovascular disease has traditionally been considered a disease of men. And with ART being relatively new鈥攐nly becoming mainstream in the mid 1980s鈥攖he cardiovascular implications of this procedure are just not something that have been thoroughly investigated. As we learn more and more about the importance of cardiovascular health in females, and especially younger females, the significance of work like this is clearly highlighted.鈥
Niazi is excited to make a difference in this area along with her supervisor, Dr Sandra Dumanski, MD. She works alongside IVF patients and care providers in her ongoing research at the 草莓污视频导航 to directly examine the cardiometabolic implications of ART in study participants being treated with IVF. This work is helping answer key questions.
鈥淭he intersection of cardiovascular and female reproductive health is really interesting to me,鈥 says Niazi. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a big research gap that really needs to be filled.鈥
to learn more about how the Libin Cardiovascular Institute is tackling women鈥檚 cardiovascular health.