Fresh IVF cycles are associated with potentially deleterious changes in key maternal serum factors associated with angiogenesis and vasculogenesis

Abstract

Fresh IVF cycles are more likely to be affected by disorders of placentation, such as small for gestational age (SGA) and pre-eclampsia, than pregnancies resulting from frozen/thawed embryo transfer (FET). While these adverse perinatal outcomes have been linked to abnormal vasculogenesis and angiogenesis during implantation, the mediators responsible for these changes remain unclear. In this study we compare maternal serum levels of factors critical to maternal angiogenesis and fetal vasculogenesis between fresh and frozen IVF cycles and determine if changes in these factors are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes.