Women who have children as a result of fertility treatment are not at an increased risk of developing heart problems, a new study has found.

Some scientists had speculated that fertility medications, which can cause short-term pregnancy complications such as high blood pressure, could be linked to heart problems later on.

Canadian scientists decided to look into this further. They examined the long-term risk of heart attack, heart failure and stroke among 1.1 million women who had successfully undergone fertility treatment over a 17-year period.

The study found that the use of fertility treatment had jumped five-fold between 1993 and 2010, especially among older women.

It also found that fertility treatment was linked to an increased risk in pregnancy complications, such as gestational diabetes and pre-eclamsia.

However, these women were not at an increased risk of suffering a major heart event when compared with women who had not undergone fertility treatment.

The scientists also found no link between fertility treatment and an increased risk of breast or ovarian cancer.

Furthermore, those who gave birth after fertility treatment tended to have better mental health, suffering one-third the rate of depression as women who had not undergone fertility treatment.

"Our findings provide some reassurance that fertility therapy does not appear to increase long-term risk of cardiovascular events following successful pregnancy. The existing literature provides mixed messages," the scientists from Women's College Hospital said.

They suggested that one reason for these positive results is that women who seek fertility treatment ‘maintain healthier behaviour after a successful delivery - a pattern that extends across age and income groups'.

"Our findings are encouraging but further research is necessary to explain the full impact of fertility therapy on women's health. With a better understanding of the long-term health effects associated with fertility therapy, we can help inform decision making and reduce potential health risks to women," they added.

Details of these findings are published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

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