OBSTETRIC AND PERINATAL OUTCOME AFTER OOCYTE DONATION - COMPARISON WITH IN-VITRO FERTILIZATION PREGNANCIES

The obstetric and perinatal outcome in 51 oocyte donation pregnancies (61 infants) was compared with that of a control group of standard in- vitro fertilization (IVF) patients (97 pregnancies, 126 infants), The oocyte recipients (mean +/- SD age 33.5 +/- 4.7 years) included 39 wom en with ovarian failure and 12 women with functioning ovaries, In oocy te recipients, first trimester bleeding (53%) occurred significantly m ore often than in IVF mothers (31%, P < 0.01), Pregnancy-induced hyper tension was observed in 31% of oocyte recipients compared with 14% in IVF mothers (P < 0.05), There was no difference in the duration of pre gnancies or in the preterm delivery rate between the two groups. When restricting analysis to singleton pregnancies, 63% of oocyte recipient s were hospitalized in the antenatal period compared with 29% in the I VF group (P < 0.001), The Caesarean section rate was 57% in the oocyte donation group and 37% in the IVF group (P < 0.05), Birthweight in si ngleton pregnancies was similar in both groups, The perinatal mortalit y rate was 3.3% in the oocyte donation group and 0% in the IVF group, In conclusion, oocyte donation pregnancies are associated with an incr eased risk compared with IVF pregnancies, but the complications are us ually manageable and most oocyte recipients experience a good pregnanc y outcome.