Do Fertility Drugs Pose Heart Risks for Women?
Reproduced from original article:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2026/01/28/fertility-drugs-women-heart-disease-risk.aspx
Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola January 28, 2026
Story at-a-glance
- About 13.4% of U.S. women of reproductive age struggle with infertility, leading many to pursue assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) like in vitro fertilization
- ARTs help initiate pregnancy but raise concerns such as multiple births, high financial costs, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, elevated stress, and emerging evidence linking them to long-term heart disease risk
- A long-term study that followed women for 12 years found each additional ART cycle was associated with higher cardiovascular disease risk
- The increased cardiovascular risk centered on pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis, showing that ART-related heart risk involves dangerous clot formation rather than gradual blood pressure or artery disease
- Programmed frozen embryo transfer cycles showed stronger heart disease associations, highlighting that hormone protocol choices during fertility treatment can influence long-term cardiovascular outcomes years after pregnancy
Are you trying to have children but have no luck? According to the latest statistics by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13.4% of all women in America of childbearing age are having trouble getting pregnant.1 In the wake of increasing infertility rates, more and more women are turning to assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs).
Examples of ARTs include in vitro fertilization (IVF), which is the most popular option. Here, a fertility expert takes an egg from the ovaries and then mixes it with a sperm. The fertilized egg is then returned into the woman’s uterus. The actual number of babies born via IVF is still very small — less than 2% of all total births each year.2
While ARTs can help initiate the first step to pregnancy, they are not without drawbacks. According to the Cleveland Clinic, they can increase the risk of having more than one baby, not to mention the financial cost. Moreover, ARTs have a small chance of inducing ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Increased stress levels are also expected, as it can take several tries for ARTs to be successful.3 Now, a new study adds another risk to the list — heart disease.
Could IVF Increase Heart Disease Risk?
A study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology tested a hypothesis most women never hear about when it comes to ARTs: Could these methods affect long-term heart and blood vessel health?4
To perform the analysis, the researchers followed women born between 1965 and 2000 with a median follow-up of 12 years after fertility treatment. They used national health registry data, which allows long-term tracking without relying on memory or self-reporting. Then, they compared women who underwent ART with those who did not. They also analyzed how the risk shifted as the number of ART cycles increased.
• Risk adds up with each ART cycle — Each additional ART cycle was associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease overall. The increase per cycle was modest, but consistent. That’s an important piece of information because many women undergo more than one cycle, often back-to-back. When you stack exposures, small increases add up.
• Blood clots drive the cardiovascular risk — The increased risk was driven mainly by pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis. For those who are unfamiliar with these terms, pulmonary embolism is a blood clot that travels to the lungs. Deep vein thrombosis refers to clots that form in deep veins, usually in the legs.
• Frozen embryo transfers pose greater risk — Programmed frozen embryo transfer cycles showed a stronger association with cardiovascular disease than other cycle types. In these cycles, the body’s natural hormone-producing structure after ovulation does not function the same way.
• Clotting, not general heart disease, is the core concern — When pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis were removed from the analysis, the association between ART cycles and cardiovascular disease weakened substantially. That comparison reinforces the central takeaway — clotting is the main indicator. This clarity helps you focus on what to watch for and discuss with your clinician, rather than assuming a broad, nonspecific cardiovascular threat.
• Risk remains after accounting for age, health, and pregnancy — Even after adjustment, the association held. That strengthens confidence that the observed risk did not stem solely from pregnancy itself or from preexisting conditions. This supports the hypothesis that ARTs exposure adds their own layer of cardiovascular stress beyond pregnancy alone.
The authors explained that repeated high-dose hormonal stimulation during ARTs alters fluid balance, blood thickness, and vessel lining behavior. Hormones used to stimulate egg production shift the blood toward clot formation and weaken the natural anti-clotting properties of blood vessels. Over time, repeated exposure reinforces that shift.
• Repeated hormonal exposure alters blood flow and clotting — The endothelium is the inner lining of your blood vessels. Under normal conditions, it keeps blood flowing smoothly. Hormonal surges associated with ARTs disrupt this balance, increasing adhesion and clot formation. Once that lining loses its protective role, clot risk rises even years later.
Note that this study does not discourage women choosing ARTs. It merely raises awareness so that complete informed consent becomes clear for the patient. Again, knowing where risk appears allows targeted prevention, early recognition of warning signs, and smarter follow-up.
The researchers emphasized that monitoring cardiovascular health is a vital strategy to prevent further problems down the line. In addition, they noted that should a woman go through numerous ART cycles, health care practitioners are encouraged to match their patient’s cardiometabolic profile so that risk is kept to a minimum.
How to Weigh Cardiovascular Risks Across ART Options
Long-term cardiovascular data remain limited when it comes to ART-specific medication. That said, if you’re set on going with this approach to conceive, it’s important to be familiar with each one used. The table below provides an overview of common ARTs strategies, as well as the latest findings surrounding them. For further information, it’s best to consult with a fertility expert:
| Method | Current information | Recommendations |
|---|---|---|
| Gonadotropins and high-estrogen stimulation | Transient pro-thrombotic physiology; overall cardiovascular disease signal is clot-driven rather than heart attack-driven | Ask how your clinic mitigates ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome risk; confirm your personal venous thromboembolism risk factors |
| Programmed frozen embryo transfer (no corpus luteum) | Stronger association with cardiovascular disease risk per additional programmed frozen cycle in the registry study | Discuss whether a natural-cycle frozen embryo transfer is an option for you |
| Clomiphene | Limited high-quality long-term cardiovascular disease data; not singled out in the new registry analysis | Report chest pain, visual changes, or severe headache promptly during cycles |
| Letrozole | Limited long-term cardiovascular disease data; often used for ovulation induction | May be lower in estrogen than some stimulation protocols; still monitor symptoms |
| Progesterone/estrogen for luteal support | Short-term hormone exposure; no clear independent long-term cardiovascular disease signal | Use exactly as prescribed; watch for leg swelling or sudden breathlessness |
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Who Should Get a Cardiology Check Before Undergoing ARTs?
Whatever form of ARTs a woman chooses, it would be wise to have her cardiovascular health assessed first. As it turns out, there could be underlying conditions that can worsen the outcome. This was shown in a study published in Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy.5
• Cardiovascular disease could already be there in the first place — The study population in the paper included women undergoing fertility treatment, many of whom already carried cardiometabolic risk factors before pregnancy even began. The researchers emphasized that infertility itself often overlaps with conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome, obesity, insulin resistance, and hypertension.
• Fertility treatments stress the cardiovascular system beyond normal — One notable finding in the study was its comparison of cardiovascular strain during different reproductive states. Pregnancy alone raises cardiac output dramatically, meaning your heart pumps far more blood each minute than usual.
Fertility treatment increases the load further by raising the chance of multifetal gestation. Carrying twins or higher-order pregnancies requires substantially more cardiovascular output than a singleton pregnancy.
• Many cardiovascular risk factors remain under-recognized and under-monitored — Blood pressure, lipid levels, glucose control, and weight trajectory often receive less attention during fertility treatment because the focus stays on conception.
• Kidney health could also be at risk — According to the featured study, the risk of kidney injury, as well as arrhythmia, and ischemic stroke was highest in women who used ARTs to conceive and had preexisting cardiovascular risk factors.
How to Lower Cardiovascular Risk When Deciding to Pursue ART
Optimizing cardiovascular health is of utmost importance, ARTs or not. One foundational step that women (and everyone else for that matter) can implement is to minimize linoleic acid (LA) intake. As noted in my study published in the World Journal of Cardiology, LA produces reactive oxygen species (ROS) that hamper mitochondrial function, which injures the inner lining of your arteries.
• Be aware of the numerous LA sources — These include corn, soybean, safflower, and cotton oil, which are generally found in ultraprocessed foods, so avoid those. Less obvious sources of LA include conventionally raised pork and poultry because of their feed, which is typically high in LA.
Lower your intake to less than 5 grams a day. If you can keep it below 2 grams, that’s even better. The Mercola Health Coach app — coming soon — will include the Seed Oil Sleuth, a tool designed to help you track the LA in your food down to a tenth of a gram.
• Additional reminders — Going back to ART-related recommendations, here are some tips to keep in mind:
◦ Ask about protocols that reduce ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome risk, including step-down stimulation and, when appropriate, considering natural-cycle frozen embryo transfer instead of a programmed one.
◦ Track blood pressure at home if you have any hypertension history or risk factors. Bring your readings to visits.
◦ Review medicines and supplements with your medical team, especially anything that affects clotting.
◦ If you feel unwell, don’t hesitate to call your doctor. Remember that you and your team are partners managing a time-limited, slightly higher-risk period.
When Should You Seek Urgent Care vs. Calling the Clinic?
Finally, don’t hesitate to contact emergency services. Use this triage guide during and after ART cycles to help you decide:
• Call emergency services right away — Sudden severe chest pain and shortness of breath, one-sided leg swelling and pain, coughing up blood, and severe headache with neurologic symptoms all require immediate medical attention.
• Call your doctor within the day — If you experience persistent chest discomfort, new palpitations, repeated high blood pressure readings, worsening abdominal distension with rapid weight gain, and calf tenderness or swelling, make an appointment with your health care provider.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) and Heart Disease
Q: Does IVF increase a woman’s risk of heart disease?
A: Yes. IVF and other ARTs are linked to a higher long-term risk of cardiovascular disease, especially as the number of treatment cycles increases. The risk appears cumulative rather than one-time and is driven mainly by blood clot-related events.
Q: Are strokes more common after IVF or fertility drugs?
A: The research does not show that strokes are broadly more common after IVF for all women. It does note that ischemic stroke risk was higher in women who used ARTs and already had underlying cardiovascular risk factors, but it does not present stroke risk as a dominant or widespread outcome of IVF itself.
Q: Which fertility medications carry the highest blood clot risk?
A: The highest clot risk is associated with fertility protocols that involve gonadotropins and high-estrogen stimulation. These drugs increase clotting tendency in the blood, especially when they trigger ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. Programmed frozen embryo transfer protocols also stand out as higher risk due to their hormonal design.
Q: If I have hypertension or preeclampsia risk, is IVF safe for me?
A: IVF requires extra caution if you already have hypertension or risk factors for preeclampsia. It would be wise to have a cardiovascular screening before treatment, close monitoring during cycles and pregnancy, and individualized risk assessment rather than treating IVF as automatically safe or unsafe.
Q: Do IVF hormones raise blood pressure?
A: IVF hormones are linked to higher rates of pregnancy-related hypertensive disorders, but the research shows that there is no clear increase in chronic hypertension after IVF.