IVF does not affect child development: study

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Australian study published in pros medicine School-age children show no difference in developmental and educational outcomes, regardless of natural conception or in vitro fertilization.


To conduct the study, the researchers looked at linked population data of nearly half a million Victorian children across the state.


They were then screened at ages 4-6 via the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) and at ages 7-9 via the National Assessment Program for Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) by spontaneous and in vitro fertilization. Pregnant children’s developmental and educational outcomes were assessed. I can’t find any difference.


Lead author and fertility expert Amber Kennedy, Ph.D. News GP This is encouraging news for parents.


“If you have an infertile couple and are considering IVF, this is great news,” she said.


“When children are conceived through in vitro fertilization, they can have the same early childhood and schooling outcomes as other children.”


The team successfully collated sensitive data from private IVF clinics, BDM (Births, Deaths and Marriages) and the Victorian Perinatal Data Collection (VPDC) via a third-party government agency that de-identified the information. Did.


“It’s unique in that the exposure data are written in the mother’s name and the results in the child’s name,” Dr. Kennedy said.


“This is probably the largest data set that has yielded reassuring findings for children conceived by in vitro fertilization.


“A Scandinavian study from 2018 to 2020 found that children conceived through IVF scored slightly worse in schooling.


“We didn’t find it. There are two potential reasons. Modern in vitro fertilization practices are becoming safer, as there is some data showing that it is declining over time.


Dr. Kennedy says this includes lower rates of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), fewer embryo transfers, and the use of preimplantation genetic testing (PGT).


“Second, our statistical method was excellent,” she said.


“Using simple regression on our data yielded similar results to the Scandinavian study, but showed no difference when causality-based analysis was performed.”


Previous studies have shown higher rates autism, neurological disorders others congenital anomaly Children conceived by in vitro fertilization.


Some of this may be related to medical conditions in the parents that affect fertility, including older age.


Dr. Kennedy says there may also be differences in childhood outcomes related to the type of treatment used in IVF.


“Other studies have shown an increased risk of birth defects in babies conceived by ICSI. [intracytoplasmic sperm injection] However, the mechanism is believed to lie in sperm quality in men requiring ICSI, as opposed to the method itself.


Anthea Lindquist, M.D., an obstetrician and senior author of the same study, said: News GP The team plans to further study ICSI and its effects on children.


“This project was to evaluate whole IVF, but using a different technique [like ICSI] We want to unlock the difference,” she said.


Dr. Lindquist says the long-term risks are less immediate when a patient comes to see her for infertility.


“It’s often an emotional process, a fertility journey,” she said.


“When you look at a patient by default, they want to know about the risks. [of IVF] However, they focus more on pregnancy risks.


“Most of these families are either childless or facing an IVF journey, so the potential for long-term complications is not always possible.


“That’s why this study is able to provide such encouraging evidence.”


Lindquist says part of the impetus for this research was to make IVF more accessible.


“The frequency of in vitro fertilization continues to increase. For me, there is a growing interest in public IVF services, and with that comes a lot of rigorous evaluation of the existing evidence.


“From a public service perspective, there are still many unknowns and those questions need to be answered in order to be more freely accessible.


“There was a review of IVF services in Victoria in late 2019 that identified gaps in knowledge and what needs to be done to address this.”


She says that in vitro fertilization is currently limited to those who can afford to do it, and as more evidence becomes available, it will likely become publicly funded.


The team has the ability to examine small cohorts of the same children to assess long-term educational outcomes, but for now, Dr. I want my family to feel safe.


“The fertility journey is a very personal and personal one, and everyone has their own circumstances.


“Our findings show that there is no overall evidence that children conceived through IVF do worse in school.


“This is overall encouraging and good news.”



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Children development fertility in vitro fertilization