Cancer-Related Morbidity Among Patients Conceiving Through Oocyte Donation: A Healthcare Registry Cohort Study.

Background

Ovarian aging, often leads to increased use of a donor oocyte, which is associated with greater risk for age-related diseases.

Objective

To evaluate the association between women conceiving through oocyte donation (OD) and future cancer-related morbidity, as compared with women conceiving through IVF (in vitro fertilization) with autologous oocytes (AO), spontaneous conceptions (SC), and nulliparas.

Methods

This retrospective, cohort study was based on the electronic health records of a very large health maintenance organization. The cohort included mothers who delivered before age 45, during 2000-2019. The index date for surveillance was the delivery date of the relevant pregnancy. Each woman from the OD group was matched to a woman the same age at delivery and with the same number of children. Cancer diagnosis was the main outcome.

Results

Matching: 664 OD cases to 664 AO, 700 OD cases to 700 SC, and 700 OD cases to 700 nulliparas. Mean follow-up times were 8.9 ± 3.8 OD, 10 ± 4.1 AO, and 6.4 ± 4.1 years SC. Cancer-related morbidity rates were comparable between OD and the other groups, but compared with nulliparas, a trend was noted (1.6% and 3.1%, respectively, p = 0.07). Survival analysis curves were not significantly different, although a trend was shown in the curve comparing to nulliparity (p = 0.07). In a Cox regression model corrected for BMI, smoking and hormone replacement therapy exposure, cancer in the OD group did not differ compared to the other groups.

Conclusion

Women conceiving through OD do not have increased risk for cancer-related morbidity in the decade following delivery.