Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine

The Korean Society for Reproductive Medicine (대한생식의학회)
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Ovarian stimulation and liver dysfunction: Is a clinical relationship possible? A case of hepatic failure after repeated cycles of ovarian stimulation

  • Giugliano, Emilio (Department of Biomedical Sciences and Advanced Therapies, University of Ferrara) ;
  • Cagnazzo, Elisa (Department of Biomedical Sciences and Advanced Therapies, University of Ferrara) ;
  • Pansini, Giancarlo (Department of Surgery, Anaesthesiology, and Radiology, University of Ferrara) ;
  • Vesce, Fortunato (Department of Biomedical Sciences and Advanced Therapies, University of Ferrara) ;
  • Marci, Roberto (Department of Biomedical Sciences and Advanced Therapies, University of Ferrara)
  • Received : 2012.09.25
  • Accepted : 2012.12.05
  • Published : 2013.03.31
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Abstract

Liver damage induced by ovarian stimulation has been demonstrated in some cases reported in the literature. However, there has never been a fruitful debate on this topic. The present manuscript tried to fill this gap. We reported a case of a 35-year-old nulliparous woman admitted to our obstetric emergency room for severe pre-eclampsia. She had been subjected to four cycles of controlled ovarian stimulation for intrauterine insemination. At 32 weeks of gestation, she developed severe pre-eclampsia, which led to HELLP syndrome complicated by fatal liver failure. The etiological link between ovarian stimulation and HELLP syndrome is intriguing. Further investigations are needed to understand whether repeated ovarian stimulation may represent a risk factor in pre-eclamptic patients.

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References

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