Short+and+Long+Term+Effects

Short and long term health effects The majority of reproductive technologies are complex treatments involving the use of drugs and surgery. More is known about the short term hazards than the long term effects to a woman's health. Complications in the short term include problems associated with overstimulated ovaries, the complications (albeit small) associated with a general anaesthetic and surgery, and an increased likelihood of a caesarean birth. There are risks to the baby as well. These include an increased likelihood of premature birth and/or multiple birth and the associated consequences of these outcomes (experiencing sickness after the birth, hospitalisation in the first year, impairment and disability) ([|8]). Concerns have also been raised regarding a possible association between the use of fertility drugs and an increased risk of cancer of the reproductive organs. There is a need for long term studies that follow women who have taken fertility drugs for many years to determine if their cancer risk is increased. A recent study of the use of fertility drugs and ovarian cancer did not find a convincing associationbetween the two ([|9]). Inserted from <[]>