Study Debunks Myth Linking IVF with Higher Risk of Breast Cancer
Women who have been trying to get pregnant and are wary of going through in vitro fertilization (IVF) can now breathe a sigh of relief.
A study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) revealed that the chances of getting breast cancer because of IVF is insignificant. According to the study, going through IVF—or choosing not to—does not have bearing in terms of increasing the possibility of having breast cancer.
The Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam studied two control groups. The first set was the IVF control group with 19,158 women who were subjected to treatments between three to four IVF cycles from 1983 to 1996. The second control group was composed of 5,950 women who had other fertility treatments from 1980 to 1995, but not IVF. Both groups were composed of women aged 33 years old on average when the study started.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The results showed that the breast cancer risk in women treated with IVF was not significantly different than those who had other fertility treatments and the general population.
IVT Treatment Considerations
According to the Centers for Disease Control, in vitro fertilization is the most common form of assisted reproductive technology (ART). Depending on different factors like the age of the woman, the success rate could go as high as 40 percent to as low as 2 percent.
The American Society of Reproductive Medicine pegs the average cost of an IVF treatment cycle at $12,400. This could go up contingent on the location and the medications that will be needed by the patient after the treatment. A candidate should also factor in the number of IVF cycles needed and how much the insurance company will pay for the treatment.
The chances of couples who cannot conceive naturally have greatly increased because science and studies, like the one done by JAMA. These findings help them decide which treatment is best. Statistically, getting pregnant through IVT may not be close to 100 percent, but at least the fear of increasing the chances of breast cancer can now be laid to rest. Myth busted.
