OHSS, the IVF Side-Effect Making Women's Fertility Journeys 'Agony'
By Sophie Wilkinson,
The Huffington Post UK
| 02. 08. 2020
“I was in excruciating pain, I was bloated and felt really sick. The doctor had said I’d be able to go about my normal business but I missed work, I couldn’t do anything and I had to stay in bed for six days.”
Carol*, 39, from London, is an IVF success story. On her second cycle, she became pregnant and she now has a joyful toddler. But during her first cycle, as well as the invasive trips to the doctors and grimacing through the daily self-administered progesterone injections, she developed what her doctors called a “borderline” ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome (OHSS).
The symptoms Carol experienced are some of the many side-effects of OHSS, which can range from nausea and vomiting to severe bloating and blood clots. In the worst cases, OHSS can be fatal – according to government records, it has killed two British women in the past 15 years.
Statistics from the Human Embryology and Fertility Agency (HFEA), the fertility industry regulator that is required to record all incidences of OHSS, suggest a third of women undergoing IVF will...
Related Articles
GeneWatch UK has prepared a briefing on the genetic modification of nature for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Congress in October 2025
The upcoming Congress claims to be “where the world comes together to set priorities and drive conservation and sustainable development action.” A major concern for those on the outside is that the Congress may advance plans to develop and encourage the use of synthetic biology in nature conservation. This could at first glance sound like...
By Aaron Ginn, The Washington Post | 09.12.2025
Earlier this year, I had dinner in D.C. with Jensen Huang, the president and chief executive of Nvidia. At one point, he said something that struck me: “Why is everyone here so negative?”
He wasn’t referring to the economy...
By Roni Caryn Rabin, The New York Times | 08.25.2025
Scientists have dreamed for centuries about using animal organs to treat ailing humans. In recent years, those efforts have begun to bear fruit: Researchers have begun transplanting the hearts and kidneys of genetically modified pigs into patients, with varying degrees...
The Center for Genetics and Society is delighted to recommend the current edition of GMWatch Review – Number 589. UK-based GMWatch, a long-standing ally, was founded in 1998 by Jonathan Matthews as an independent organization seeking to counter the enormous corporate political power and propaganda of the GMO industry and its supporters. Matthews and Claire Robinson are its directors and managing editors.
CGS works to ensure that social justice, equity, human rights, and democratic governance are front...
