When couples are going through fertility treatments that involve using fertility drugs to increase follicle stimulation and the production of eggs such as IUI or IVF, there is always a risk for Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS).  This is a very serious complication that can result in a hospital stay and could be fatal if it was not monitored and treated accordingly.  When too many follicles develop, the ovaries can become swollen and enlarged.  OHSS can cause severe pain and fluid to be released into the lungs and abdomen.

To understand OHSS, we must first talk about the process of ovarian stimulation itself.  When going through fertility treatments, doctors often used medications to help stimulate ovarian production.  It is most typically used for procedures such a IUIs or IVF but is also used for other situations such as causing ovulation in women who are not ovulating on their own.

The typical drugs used for ovulation induction are Clomid and Gonadotropins.  Their job is to increase the number of egg follicles for ovulation.  You can be given different dosages of these medications depending on such things as your age, the type of fertility procedure you are doing and past stimulation results from using them.

When you are going through a fertility treatment, your doctor should maintain a regular monitoring schedule for your hormones, the number of follicles and the size of your ovaries.  They should do this through both blood work and ultrasounds.  Monitoring these things regularly is important as it is the only way to diagnose OHSS.  About 3-5% of the women using these drugs may develop OHSS during the fertility treatment, so monitoring is essential.

When a woman experiences OHSS, she will most likely begin to have the symptoms about 3-5 days after egg retrieval.  The symptoms can be mild, moderate or severe.  Most women only have mild or moderate OHSS and the symptoms will only last a few days. Sometimes pregnancy may actually cause the symptoms to last longer.

Women with mild to moderate OHSS may have any of the following symptoms: pain, abdominal swelling and the feeling of being bloated.  At times ovarian cysts form and fluid shows up in the abdominal cavity.  Ovarian swelling for the mild form of OHSS is less than 5 cm and it is 5 to 10 cm for the moderate form.

Only about 1-2% of women who experience OHSS have the severe form of the condition.  The ovaries swell and become larger than 10 cm.  Nausea, vomiting and severe abdominal pain occurs.  The fluid backs up into the chest and abdominal cavity resulting in shortness of breath and swelling of the abdomen.  Severe OHSS typically requires a hospital stay to treat the symptoms and monitor the ovaries and fluid.  Kidney damage, blood clotting disorders and Ovarian Torsion (twisting of the ovaries) have all been associated with severe OHSS.

Any time that you are doing fertility treatments it is important for you to be aware of the symptoms of OHSS. Although it can only be officially diagnosed by the monitoring of a doctor, you can be aware of the changes in your body.  Extreme bloating, pain or discomfort should be reported immediately to your doctor.  Although OHSS can’t be prevented at this time, early detection can prevent the onset of severe OHSS.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 9th, 2006 at 3:21 am and is filed under Fertility. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.