Polycystic ovary disease and the risk of pregnancy-induced hypertension

OBJECTIVE: To compare the incidence of pregnancy-induced hypertension in pa tients with and without polycystic ovary disease (PCOD). STUDY DESIGN: We con ducted a retrospective, case-control analysis of patie nts who achieved singleton pregnancies with human menopausal gonadotropin ( hMG) therapy. Twenty-two PCOD patients were compared to 27 infertility pati ents without PCOD who were pregnant after hMG therapy. Non-PCOD patients re ceived hMG for superovulation as part of superovulation/intrauterine insemi nation or in vitro fertilization/embryo transfer. PCOD patients were receiv ing hMG for simple ovulation induction. Pregnancy-induced hypertension was defined as late pregnancy blood pressure >140/90 mm Hg on two readings six hours apart and return to normal blood pressure by four to six weeks postpa rtum. RESULTS: There were no differences between PCOD and non-PCOD patients with reference to age, body mass index, parity or other pregnancy-induced hypert ension risk factors (i.e., chronic hypertension, diabetes or chronic renal disease), Pregnant PCOD patients had a much higher incidence of pregnancy-i nduced hypertension, 31.8% (7/22), versus non-PCOD patients, who only had a pregnancy-induced hypertension incidence of 3.7% (1/27) (P = .016, OR = 12 .2, 95% CI = 2.3-566.8). CONCLUSION: PCOD patients are at very high risk of pregnancy-induced hypert ension when pregnant after ovulation induction.