Association of blood group A with early-onset ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome is a potentially life-threatening complication during controlled ovarian stimulation for fertility treatment. Since no association of this condition with ABO blood groups was known, we compared ABO antigens with severity and onset of symptoms in a case-control study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred and twenty-one patients, mainly Caucasians, were hospitalized because of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome after receiving in vitro fertilisation, in the period from January 2000 to February 2007. Severity of symptoms, pregnancy rate and ABO blood group were collated. The ABO blood group distribution was compared to four independent control groups. RESULTS: Blood group A was markedly more frequent and blood group O less frequent in patients with ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome compared to the blood group distribution in all control cohorts. The odds ratio for patients undergoing controlled ovarian stimulation with blood group A versus O to develop the early-onset form of this condition was 2.171 (p-value 0.002). No association for late-onset form could be found. The overall pregnancy rate was 50.4% and three times higher in the group of late-onset ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome compared to the early-onset form. Four patients developed thromboses in the jugular or subclavian vein, none of whom had blood group O. CONCLUSION: Blood group A may be associated with early-onset ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in Caucasians. Depending on further studies, this possible association may be considered for an individualized hormone dosing in controlled ovarian stimulation.

[Survey of vascular accidents caused by oral contraceptives]. / A propos d'une enquête sur les accidents vasculaires des contraceptifs oraux.

PIP: The authors sent questionnaires to the members of the French speaking Gynecology and Obstetrics societies and received 216 replies, of which 129 covering 86,700 patients are summarized here. There were 53 cases of phlebitis, 4 of pulmonary embolism, 2 of acute hypertension, 1 of hypotension, 1 of cerebral thrombosis, 1 of retinal hemorrhage, 1 of facial paralysis and 1 of acute pancreatitis and mesenteric infarction. If the 57 cases of phlebitis and pulmonary embolism are grouped, the frequency is 6.5 per 1000, which is not sufficiently greater than 2 per 1000 found by Drill in nonpregnant women, to incrimin ate the pill. The frequency of morbidity from phlebitis and thromboembo lism in this survey may be artificially low because most respondents wer e gynecologists; some women with these disorders may have consulted other physicians.^ieng