Pathology of the Placenta in Singletons after Assisted Reproductive Technology Compared to Singletons after Spontaneous Conception: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: We reviewed the literature comparing the pathological characteristics of singleton births conceived after assisted reproductive technology (ART) with those after spontaneous conception. Methods: We reviewed PubMed, EMBASE, Ovid MEDLINE, Google Scopus, Scholar, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and the Web of Science for the previous 10 years, up to November 2022. Results: Four eligible studies included 3445 placentas, 806 after ART (IVF/ICSI). Placentas after ART differed in frequency of retroplacental and marginal hematomas (p = 0.04), increased thickness (p = 0.02), higher overall occurrences of vascular and anatomical pathology (p < 0.001) and more frequent marginal (p = 0.001) and membranous (p = 0.02) umbilical cord insertion than placentas from non-ART pregnancies. Conclusion: Further research is needed to determine the extent to which these placental changes in ART pregnancies alter its function and pregnancy outcome.

Keywords:

• Placenta
• pathology
• assisted reproductive technology
• embryo transfer
• in vitro fertilization

Authors’ contributions

All authors met the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for authorship, contributed to the intellectual content of the study, and approved the final version of the article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Funding

This study was not funded.