What is Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome?

When a woman’s ovaries expand and leak fluid into her body, this is known as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). When a woman has fertility treatments that stimulate her ovaries to produce more eggs than usual, she may develop this syndrome.

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is an overreaction to drugs intended to stimulate egg production (particularly injectable gonadotropins). Other drugs, such as clomiphene citrate or gonadotropin-releasing hormone, can cause OHSS in rare cases.

Treatment for (OHSS) is determined by the severity of the ailment. If the illness is mild, it can be treated by simple measures however, if the condition is severe, hospitalization and drugs may be required.You can visit India’s one of the renowned treatment centers in Mumbai.

Treatment of OHSS:

Treatment for moderate OHSS

• You can take some acetaminophen for pain.
• It involves things like avoiding strenuous exercise and increasing fluid intake to address dehydration.
• For treating mild OHSS conservative treatment can be included.

Treatment of severe OHSS

• You can be hospitalized, and you can be provided with IV fluids to aid with hydration.
• Your doctor can alter the fertility medication dose.
• Your blood clot can be treated with a blood thinner.
• Your doctor may also recommend paracentesis, which is a procedure that can remove excess fluid buildup in your abdomen.
• Also, medications can be provided to calm down all the abnormalities happening in your ovary.

Causes of getting OHSS

• Fertility injections are more likely to cause OHSS than clomiphene, a medication given as a pill you take by mouth.

• Having a high level of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) – It is a hormone that is generally produced during pregnancy. The blood vessels present in the ovary react abnormally with HCG and start producing fluids. This fluid swells the ovaries and sometimes it moves into the abdomen in large amounts.

When to Consult a Doctor

If you are going through fertility treatment and you are experiencing symptoms of OHSS you should immediately consult with your doctor. If you are experiencing problems breathing or you gained a rapid weight you should consult with your doctor regarding the symptoms.

Symptoms of Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) :

Symptoms of (OHSS) generally occur after a week of  injecting medicines to stimulate ovulation.

Moderate (OHSS) symptoms :

Symptoms of moderate Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome

●      Mild abdominal pain

●      Abdominal bloating or increase in your wrist size

●      Nausea

●      Vomiting

●      Diarrhea

Severe OHSS

Symptoms that can prompt that you have a severe OHSS

●      Quick weight gain — You can have a weight gain of 1kg in just 24 hours

●      Severe abdominal pain – You can experience severe abdominal pain within a week of taking IVF treatment.

●      Severe, nausea and vomiting

●      Blood clots

●      Decreased urination

●      Shortness of breath, experiencing difficulty to take a breath

●      The abdomen might get tight and have an increased abdominal size.

Factors that can increase the risk of OHSS :

●      A large number of follicles – The risk of OHSS increases gradually with the number of follicles ≥11 mm and the E2 level on the day of HCG administration.

●      Women younger than age 35 are also at a higher risk of developing this complication.

●      Before an HCG trigger shot if the women have high levels of estrogen.

●      If the women had previous episodes of OHSS.

Complications of OHSS

A person can have complications with OHSS. And complications of Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome can be threatening.

●      Huge amounts of fluid can get clotted in the abdomen or the chest area.

●      A disturbance in the level of sodium and potassium can occur in the body.

●      Blood clots in the large vessels mostly in the legs.

●      Many people also experienced kidney failures.

●      Rupture of a cyst in an ovary, which can lead to serious bleeding

●      Sometimes women can experience breathing problems. You will feel hard to take a breath.

●      Women can face pregnancy loss from a miscarriage because of complications

●      It is also reported that death is due to complications of OHSS.

Preventions

There are many ways you can prevent OHSS by consulting with your doctors. You can have an individual plan for your fertility medications.

●      Consult with your doctor and adjust your fertility medications.

●      COASTING– Coasting is the practice whereby the gonadotropins are withheld and the administration of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is delayed until serum oestradiol (E2) has decreased to what is considered to be a safe level, to prevent the onset of OHSS.

●      Freezing your embryos.