DVT linked to fertility

German scientists have found that a common genetic mutation that makes people more susceptible to deep-vein thrombosis also makes them more fertile.

About one in ten Australians of Anglo-Saxon background carry the genetic mutation, called the factor-V-Leiden (FVL) mutation. In addition to raising the risk of blood clots, it also increases the risk of second trimester miscarriage and premature birth.

However, according to the new research by scientists at the University of Lübeck, Germany, women with the FVL mutation also have a lining in their wombs that makes them twice as receptive to the implantation of a fertilised egg.

The scientists examined the records of women undergoing a fertility treatment in which eggs were fertilised outside the body and then injected into the womb. Whether a pregnancy results from this procedure depends on the womb's receptivity. 90% of women with the FVL mutation had successful implantation, compared to only 49% of women without the mutation.