Clinical significance of first-trimester intrauterine haematomas detected in pregnancies achieved by IVF-embryo transfer

In this study, the clinical significance of first-trimester intrauterine haematomas (IUH) detected in pregnancies achieved by IVF-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) was evaluated. A retrospective case-control study was designed to compare obstetric and perinatal outcomes of 350 pregnancies with IUH and 350 matched controls without IUH. The incidence of first-trimester IUH detected in the IVF-ET pregnancies was 13.5%. In women who delivered after 28 weeks' gestation, the incidence of gestational hypertension (OR 2.6; 95% CI 1.5 to 4.6), preeclampsia (OR 2.8; 95% CI 1.5 to 5.0) and postpartum haemorrhage (OR 3.1; 95% CI 1.8 to 5.3) was significantly higher in the IUH group. Compared with controls, placenta previa (OR, 8.7 95%; CI 3.4 to 22.2) and oligohydramninos (OR 5.8; 95% CI 2.4 to 14.0) were more common in the IUH group. The incidence of preterm delivery (<37 weeks' gestation) was significantly higher in the IUH group (OR 2.1; 95% CI 1.4 to 3.0), although the incidence of preterm delivery before 34 weeks' gestation was not. No differences were observed in the incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus, premature rupture of membranes and low birth weight. The presence of first-trimester IUH in IVF-ET pregnancies was associated with a higher risk of several pregnancy complications.