HPV sabotages IVF

Human papillomavirus (HPV) lowers IVF success by more than 50%, according to the findings of a prospective study of 106 women.

Sixteen percent of the women in the study tested positive for HPV using the Digene Hybrid Capture II assay, which detects the 13 most common high-risk and the five most common low-risk HPV variants. The women with HPV were less than half as likely as the women without the virus to become pregnant (23.5% vs. 57%; P<0.02).

Whether the infection directly affects fertility or whether it is indicative of an underlying immunologic deficiency remains a subject for investigation.