Women undergoing infertility treatment experience increased gingival inflammation, bleeding and gingival crevicular fluid, say researchers in the June issue of Journal of Periodontology.
Researchers clinically examined 18 women who received ovulation induction medications for more than three menstrual cycles in the previous year to determine their plaque levels and GCF volumes, as well as to assess their gingival inflammation and bleeding on probing. Researchers compared these results with those of 20 matched control subjects who never had used ovulation induction drugs.
Researchers found that, though all the women had similar plaque levels, the women who received ovulation induction medications had higher levels of gingival inflammation, bleeding and GCF volume.
"These effects are presumably correlated with the increased levels of progesterone and estrogen," said lead author Dr. Cenk M. Haytaç, Cukurova University, Adana, Turkey. "Gingiva is a target tissue for estrogen since it contains specific high-affinity estrogen receptors."
GCF contains enzymes and tissue breakdown products that have been examined as potential markers for the progression of periodontitis. Periodontal diseases, such as periodontitis, are risk factors for several systemic conditions, including preterm low–birth-weight babies.
"It is reasonable to assume that if low levels of plaque are established and maintained during the infertility treatment, gingival inflammation would not affect the success of infertility treatment," said Dr. Michael P. Rethman, president, American Academy of Periodontology. "This would require meticulous oral hygiene and routine professional cleanings, perhaps at the beginning of each menstrual cycle, to ensure the presence of healthy gums."
