What Is the Impact of Fertility Treatment on Patient Health?

The most recent event from PET (the Progress Educational Trust) brought together a panel of experts to explore what is known about the impact of IVF – and assisted conception more broadly – on the physical and psychological health of patients.

The event was hosted by Sarah Norcross, director of PET. In her opening address, she highlighted the massive scale of fertility treatment. More than 13 million babies conceived via IVF have been born since the world's first IVF baby, Louise Brown, was born in 1978. That figure is rising every day, with tens of thousands of cycles of fertility treatment delivered year on year in the UK alone.

The first speaker, demographer Dr Alina Pelikh from University College London, presented her research on rates of 'morbidity' – that is, ill health – among women undergoing fertility treatment in Scandinavia and Utah.

Dr Pelikh and her colleagues found that the more invasive the type of fertility treatment, the higher the rate of maternal morbidity. The health risks for women undergoing less invasive fertility treatments – for example, taking fertility drugs without necessarily having a having procedure such as egg collection – were comparable to those for women who conceived naturally.

Dr Pelikh explained how patient characteristics such as older maternal age and not having previously given birth, which are more common among people seeking fertility treatment, also contribute to an increased risk of health problems.

Some treatments, for example multiple embryo transfer, increase the likelihood of multiple pregnancies and this in turn can contribute substantially to maternal morbidity. Dr Pelikh cited examples of shifts in clinical practice which have reduced the risk of multiple births, such as wider adoption of elective single embryo transfer in Nordic countries.

The next speaker was Dr Jen Barcroft, clinical fellow in reproductive medicine at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. Her presentation began with a video of egg collection, an essential part of IVF treatment. The clip of an ultrasound scan showed a probe entering the patient's vaginal canal, piercing through the vaginal wall and reaching the ovary, which is then 'drained' to retrieve the egg cells. This was a reminder that fertility treatment can entail invasive medical procedures, in which risk can be minimised but not avoided altogether.

Dr Barcroft then outlined some of the short-term risks of fertility treatment, which can include blood clots, pelvic infection and ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Mild cases of the latter are particularly common, occurring in around one in four egg collection cycles, but severe cases are much rarer.

Longer-term risks associated with fertility treatment may include a greater chance of ectopic pregnancy and ovarian cancer. However, this does not necessarily mean that the risk is a consequence of the treatment. For example, the increased ovarian cancer risk may be explained – at least in part – by women with sub-fertility having a higher baseline risk, explained Dr Barcroft. This is because time spent not ovulating, as occurs during pregnancy, can protect against ovarian cancer.

Conversely, the risk of cervical cancer seems to be lower in patients undergoing fertility treatment. Again, this is not necessarily due to the treatment itself. It may instead be attributable to heightened surveillance during fertility treatment, and early indications of cancer being caught sooner.

The final speaker was Dr Alice Domar, Chief Compassion Officer at Inception Fertility and former chair of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine's Mental Health Professional Group. Reflecting on her four decades of research and practice concerning psychological aspects of fertility treatment and infertility, she argued that 'we need to worry a lot more about the emotional health of our patients.'

Dr Domar cited research which suggested that the majority of couples going through fertility treatment experience 'psychiatric levels' of anxiety. She explained that the psychological impact of infertility on patients' lives is multifaceted – it can affect people's romantic relationships, sex lives and work commitments, and lead to various interpersonal challenges (such as becoming apprehensive about other people achieving a pregnancy).

The World Health Organisation has long classified infertility as a disease, observed Dr Domar, and yet many people who struggle to get pregnant blame themselves (or else they experience real or imagined blame from others). The patients whom she counsels are often told to 'just relax', 'go on vacation' or change their lifestyle to improve their chances of getting pregnant. She said this this is because too many people still view infertility as a misfortune rather than a disease, and see fertility treatment as a luxury.

Following presentations, the speakers responded to questions and comments from the audience. These included several questions about cancer risk during IVF treatment, to which Dr Barcroft responded that fertility treatment is only marginally associated with increased risk of ovarian cancer, and that there are multiple contributory factors at play (the main one being duration of ovulation).

Dr Barcroft emphasised that people should not be dissuaded from pursuing fertility treatment based on potential associated gynaecological cancer risks, as these risks involve many factors. She instead urged people to be alert to early indications of ovarian cancer, and to engage with breast and cervical screening programmes.

Dr Pelikh reiterated the need for society to stop blaming patients for infertility, while Dr Domar offered some words of reassurance to people struggling to cope. 'If you're feeling distressed, anxious, lonely, and you're arguing more with your partner or getting upset when someone you know gets pregnant, it means one thing. It means you're normal.'

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PET is grateful to the Scottish Government for supporting this event.

Register here for this week's PET event What Is the Impact of Fertility Treatment on the Health of Resulting Children?, taking place online this coming Wednesday (29 April 2026).