THURSDAY, Aug. 11, 2011 (HealthDay News) -- There's no strong evidence that taking aspirin while undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) improves a woman's chances of becoming pregnant, researchers say.
Routine use of aspirin during IVF treatment is controversial. Proponents believe that aspirin may improve blood flow to the womb and ovaries, but there are concerns that taking aspirin may cause pregnancy complications or miscarriage.
To investigate the issue, researchers reviewed data from 13 clinical trials that included a total of 2,653 women undergoing IVF. Many of the women were taking a 100-milligram dose of aspirin per day.
One large study did suggest there was some benefit to taking aspirin while having IVF treatment, but the overall conclusion of the review was that there was no evidence that aspirin improved the likelihood of getting pregnant, the researchers said.
The review appears in the August edition of The Cochrane Library.
"Couples undergoing IVF often feel so desperate that they are prepared to try anything that may improve their chances of conceiving," lead researcher Charalambos Siristatidis, of the assisted reproduction unit at the University of Athens in Greece, said in a journal news release. "But given the current evidence, there is still no basis to recommend that women take aspirin to help them become pregnant."
The researchers said large clinical trials showing beneficial results would be required to change their conclusions.
More information
The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more about IVF.
