International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

One expert has explained reports that a study showed a link between fertility treatment and ovarian cancer are misleading.

Writing in the Examiner, programme director for the American Fertility Association Corey Whelan criticised the media coverage of recent research from the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

The study showed an increase in the incidence of borderline ovarian tumours and a modest rise in invasive ovarian cancer cases among women who had undergone in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

She stressed that these growths are not cancer but "cysts of low malignant potential", adding that reports claiming the fertility treatment increases a person's ovarian cancer risk by 50 per cent are incorrect.

Furthermore, the specialist highlighted that reproductive endocrinologist Dan Potter and endocrinologist Dr Alan Penzias are critical of the study itself.

Ms Whelan cited Human Reproduction's "detailed analysis" of the research, which found there is more likely to be a 4.23 per cent increase in the risk of developing invasive ovarian cancer or borderline ovarian tumours after 15 years.

According to the World Cancer Research Fund, there are around 6,700 new cases of ovarian cancers per year in the UK alone.

Posted by Alexandra George