— Christine M. Kukka, Project Manager, HBV Advocate
Hepatitis B infection in either men or women makes it more difficult
to create a pregnancy through in vitro fertilization, according to a
study published online, ahead of print, in the July issue of the Journal of Medical Virology.
Chinese researchers examined the impact of
hepatitis B in 224 couples involved in the various steps of in vitro
fertilization. Their assessment included sperm health, ovarian
stimulation, and embryo transfer. In all couples, either one partner (77
women, 136 male) or both (11) were HBV-infected.
Their in vitro success was compared with 448
uninfected couples who served as controls. Couples with HBV infection
had a longer history of infertility than uninfected couples.
HBV-infected men had higher numbers of abnormal sperm than men in the
control group (11.9% vs.19%).
Couples with HBV-infected female partners had
fewer "top-quality embryos" than the control group, and fertilization
rates among HBV-infected couples were significantly lower than in the
control group.
"These results suggest that chronic HBV infection
is likely to represent a significant cause of infertility,"
researchers wrote.
Source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24760595
HBV Journal Review — June 1, 2014, Vol 11, no 6
Labels: infertility
