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IVF Does Not Increase Risk of Developmental Disorders

by Gabrielle on July 16th, 2008

 One of the first questions we asked when exploring Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART) was, “does anything we are discussing increase the odds of birth defects or any sort of physical or mental disability?” Not that we would close our hearts to a child with a disability or medical condition, but we wanted to know what we were dealing with before undertaking any invasive procedures. Our RE (Reproductive Endocrinologist) assured us that the risks were no greater than that of a “normal” conception and birth.

This month the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) affirmed that statement:

Dr. Karin Middelburg, from the University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands, said that the study, which looked at the quality of general movements in infants at the age of three months, showed that singleton children born after IVF were not at increased risk for abnormal general movements. This suggests that they are not at increased risk of cerebral palsy (CP) or other neurodevelopmental disorders compared with their peers born from natural conception in sub-fertile couples.

Doctors intend to follow up with the infants involved in the study in several years since some developmental disorders aren’t apparent until after infancy. But initial studies are optimistic.

Source: European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (2008, July 8). IVF Does Not Increase Risk Of Developmental Disorders In Children. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 16, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/07/080708080703.htm

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POSTED IN: FYI, IVF, autism, babies, embryos, infertility treatments, living with infertility, research