Steroids
Steroids can be used to treat a vast number of medical conditions, such
as acutely for flare up of autoimmune conditions, acute asthma attacks
and inflammatory bowel disease or more chronic use such as low dose
steroids in cases of adrenal insufficiency. Systemic exposure to
steroids has been associated with an increase in orofacial clefts in the
infant, although results are conflicting, and there is insufficient data
on miscarriage rates, preterm delivery and intrauterine growth
restriction (51). In this review, we were unable to find any studies
that analysed data on men or women taking long term steroids prior to or
during ART treatment and the affect this has on reproductive outcomes.
The potential unknown risks of taking these medications are often
outweighed by the risk of deteriorating maternal or paternal health with
associated reproductive outcomes (52).