ArticleCMAJ open
Medically assisted reproduction and the risk of preterm birth: a case-control study using data from the Quebec Pregnancy Cohort.
Article in CMAJ open. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Uterine electromyography as a new predictor of extremely preterm birth: a multifactorial model integrating clinical and bioelectrical parameters.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- A Compassion-Focused Approach to Support Parents After Preterm Birth.Clinical child and family psychology review · 2025Review
- Post-Discharge Trajectories of Romanian Premature Infants: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Associated Factors.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Ovulation induction and subfertile untreated conception groups offer improved options for interpreting risks associated with ART.Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2024Article
- Screening vs. no screening for preterm delivery in low-risk singleton pregnancies: comparison by propensity score analysis.Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2024Article
- The risk of prematurity in Cameroonian children born after in vitro fertilisation.Ghana medical journal · 2023Article
- Effects of gestational diabetes mellitus and assisted reproductive technology treatment on the risk of preterm singleton birth.Frontiers in nutrition · 2022Article
- Medically assisted reproduction and the risk of being born small and very small for gestational age: Assessing prematurity status as an effect modifier.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2022Article
- Guilt-and Shame-Proneness, Birth-related Post-traumatic Stress and Post-Traumatic Growth in Women with Preterm Birth.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financingArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe use of fertility treatments has been growing over the past decade, but these treatments are not without risk. We aimed to quantify the risk of preterm birth associated with the use of ovarian stimulators (OS) and assisted reproductive technologies (ART) overall and by type of fertility treatment.
methodsWe conducted a case-control analysis of data from the Quebec Pregnancy Cohort. We included singleton pregnancies ending in a live birth during the time when Quebec operated a universal reimbursement program for assisted reproduction (2010-2015). Fertility treatments were defined dichotomously, and pregnancies resulting from spontaneous conception were used as the reference. We categorized fertility treatments into subgroups: ovarian stimulators alone, ART alone and OS and ART combined. Preterm birth was defined as birth before 37 weeks' gestation. We estimated odds ratios (ORs) for the association between type of assisted reproduction and preterm birth using generalized estimating equation models and adjusted ORs for potential confounders.
resultsA total of 57 624 pregnancies were included in the study. During the study period, 2055 pregnancies were conceived through the use of OS, ART or both: 419 involved OS alone, 150 involved ART alone and 1486 involved both OS and ART. When we adjusted for potential confounders, conception with OS, ART or both was associated with an increased risk of preterm birth (adjusted OR 1.46, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.25-1.72, 182 exposed cases). All types of assisted reproduction were associated with an increased risk of preterm birth compared with pregnancies conceived spontaneously (OS alone: adjusted OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.04-2.07; ART alone: adjusted OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.01-3.06; OS and ART combined: adjusted OR 1.43, 95% CI 1.19-1.73). Use of OS or ART or both was associated with an increased risk of late, moderate and extremely preterm birth (extremely preterm birth: adjusted OR 2.39, 95% CI 1.30-4.39).
interpretationCompared with pregnancies conceived spontaneously, pregnancies conceived through the use of OS, ART or both were associated with a 46% increased risk of preterm birth. Physicians should advise patients of the increased risks of late, moderate and extremely preterm birth so that they can make informed choices.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.