Fertility rate and subsequent pregnancy outcomes after conservative surgical techniques in postpartum hemorrhage: 15 years of literature

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the most appropriate surgical technique for optimizing hemostasis and preservation of subsequent fertility after postpartum hemorrhage (PPH).

Design: Systematic review of the literature.

Setting: Not applicable.

Patient(s): None.

Intervention(s): Review of MEDLINE, EMBASE, ScienceDirect, and the Cochrane Library.

Main outcome measure(s): Comparison of the effectiveness of conservative surgical techniques, separately or together, with respect to success rate (ability to stop bleeding and preserve the uterus), fertility rate (subsequent pregnancies or the return of regular menstrual cycles), complication rate of the procedure, and the outcomes of subsequent pregnancies in terms of type of delivery and eventual delivery complications.

Result(s): Compressive sutures and vessel embolization may be considered life-saving procedures by achieving the best hemostatic efficacy. Data on restoration of menses and pregnancy rates after these procedures are limited by short-term follow-up and by the paucity of studies, especially for vascular ligation.

Conclusion(s): Pelvic vessel embolization and compressive sutures are associated with high rates of restoration of regular menses and successive pregnancies, even if the former is burdened by an increased rate of placental disorders and fetal growth restriction and the latter by an increased risk of cesarean deliveries and PPH recurrence. Randomized trials would be desirable to define the best management of PPH.