Women who give birth following in vitro fertilisation (IVF) have an increased risk of developing reflux disease, a new study has found.

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) is a common condition which sees acid from the stomach travelling up into the oesophagus. This can cause heartburn, pain when swallowing and/or regurgitation.

It is already known that pregnancy is a risk factor for GORD. Around 50% of all pregnant women are affected, however the condition does not usually last beyond the pregnancy.

Researchers in Turkey decided to assess the risk of GORD in women who had given birth following IVF. With IVF, a woman's eggs are fertilised with sperm outside the body in a test tube and the resulting embryo is placed back inside her womb.

The study included 156 first-time mothers who had conceived as a result of IVF and had given birth at least one year earlier. These were compared to women who had conceived without fertility treatment.

The women were diagnosed with GORD if they experienced regurgitation and/or heartburn at least once a week.

The researchers found that women who had given birth following IVF were three times more likely to suffer with GORD compared to those who had conceived naturally.

Just over 4% of women who conceived naturally were found to suffer with GORD one year later, compared to 13.5% of women who had undergone IVF.

The reasons for this are unclear, however the researchers suggested that it may be due to the effects of IVF medications or psychological reasons, such as stress and anxiety.

"These are very interesting findings and we would welcome further research in this area to determine whether these results can be replicated in long-term studies. If so, we really need to investigate how we might prevent the development of GORD in all pregnant women, but particularly in those who receive IVF treatment," commented Dr Oliver Pech, associate editor of the UEG (United European Gastroenterology) Journal, which published the findings.