LIFE-THREATENING complication caused by fertility treatment could be prevented by drinking a cup of coffee, new research suggests.
In vitro fertilisation (IVF), which resulted in the world's first "test tube" baby in 1978, is used by thousands of couples every year to help them have a family.
But one complication of the treatment - ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) - can cause serious problems.
Researchers, however, now believe they have found what causes the syndrome, and solving it could be as simple as drinking a strong cup of coffee.
About 5 to 10 per cent of women undergoing IVF experience OHSS.
Although the majority of cases are mild, with symptoms including abdominal bloating, nausea and weight gain, in its most serious form it can cause blood-clotting disorders, kidney damage and chest pain.
Scientists from Middlesex University and Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry analysed fluid around human eggs to see if they could find what was causing OHSS.
Writing in the Metabolism Journal, the researchers found surprisingly high levels of a chemical called adenosine.
They believe OHSS is caused when IVF drug stimulation creates high levels of adenosine, causing the blood vessels to dilate and blood fluid to leak into tissue.
The authors of the study said: "Although adenosine has been detected in follicular fluid before, we were surprised at the extremely high levels detected in this study."
They described the chemical as a "significant contender as the molecular cause of OHSS".
To detect adenosine in blood samples, the scientists used a technique called metabolomics, which involves the study of chemical evidence of cellular processes.
The researchers said a solution could lie in caffeine, which acts as a block to adenosine.
Ray Iles, professor of biomedical science at Middlesex University, said: "It may be that a cup of strong coffee with every IVF cycle could reduce the chances of OHSS.
"Caffeine competes with adenosine for the same receptors, effectively blocking adenosine's action, and it could therefore potentially treat the cause of this condition."
Further research is under way at Barts and the London Centre for Reproductive Medicine with IVF patients who have suffered OHSS to find out if caffeine could help avoid the complication.
Susan Seenan, from Infertility Network Scotland, welcomed the findings of the study.
"OHSS can occur as a result of IVF treatment and although most cases are mild, it can be extremely uncomfortable and unpleasant," she said.
"If further studies confirm the findings that caffeine could help women avoid the risks of OHSS it is potentially good news for patients in Scotland who have no choice but to resort to fertility treatment to help them conceive."
Infertility is estimated to affect one in six or seven UK couples - approximately 3.5 million people - at some point.
