Low-dose aspirin therapy to prevent ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of low-dose aspirin therapy on ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) in an unselected group of patients undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF).DesignRandomized clinical trial.SettingDivision of Reproductive Medicine at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pécs, Faculty of Medicine, Pécs, Hungary.Patient(s)Patients who underwent IVF between 2000 and 2006.Intervention(s)Initiation of 3154 IVF cycles, for which gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist was used in 2425 cycles; 1503 cycles randomly selected for low-dose aspirin treatment starting from the first day of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation compared with no treatment in the remaining 922 cycles.Main Outcome Measure(s)The incidence of severe or critical OHSS and the rate of clinical pregnancy.Result(s)During this time period, 45 cases of severe OHSS were detected. Only two of the OHSS patients had received aspirin previously.Conclusion(s)Based on our preliminary results, introduction of low-dose aspirin therapy during ovulation induction for the prevention of OHSS in high-risk patients should be considered.