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Human Reproduction Update Advance Access published online on October 27, 2009
Human Reproduction Update, doi:10.1093/humupd/dmp044
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Heparin's ‘potential to improve pregnancy rates and outcomes’ is not evidence-based

Giuseppe Ricci1,3, Elena Giolo1 and Roberto Simeone2

1 Assisted Reproduction Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Institute for Maternal and Child Health IRCCS Burlo Garofolo and University of Trieste, Via dell'Istria 65/1, 34137 Trieste, Italy 2 Department of Transfusion Medicine, Institute for Maternal and Child Health IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, Via dell'Istria 65/1, 34137 Trieste, Italy

To whom correspondence should be addressed at: 3 Correspondence address. Tel: +39-0-40-3785-322; Fax: +39-0-40-76-12-66; E-mail: ricci@burlo.trieste.it

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Sir,

We read with much interest the excellent review by Nelson and Greer (2008), in which they discuss the potential role of heparin in assisted conception. This is a very controversial topic. The Authors have made an appreciable effort to summarize the results of the existing studies and conclude that ‘there is now evidence that in women with repeated IVF failure and thrombophilia, heparin can improve pregnancy rates’. Furthermore, they suggest that, owing to its beneficial effect on embryo implantation, heparin might have a role in increasing pregnancy and live birth rate in all women undergoing IVF. We believe, however, that some points need to be clarified. Although, in their conclusions the Authors unspecifically refer to women with ‘thrombophilia’, in previous sections of their review they separately discuss the role of anticoagulants in acquired and heritable thrombophilia. Therefore, to be consistent with this distinction, these two conditions should be separately . . . [Full Text of this Article]


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