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Sweden
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Risks of in vitro fertilization
Risks for children found
A Swedish study published in the Lancet medical journal has found that children born after in vitro fertilization (IVF) have an increased risk of severe brain disorder requiring treatment at a childhood disability center.
Dr. Bo Strömberg, a pediatric neurologist at Uppsala University Children’s Hospital in Sweden, and his colleagues found that there was a three- to four-fold increase in risk of cerebral palsy in children born through IVF. The risk of suspected developmental delay was also two to four times higher in children born through IVF than in normally conceived children. The study also noted an increased risk of severe vision problems in children born through IVF than in the general population, but this increase was not deemed significant because the number of children suffering such difficulties was very small.
The study noted that the risks of these disorders are increased with IVF generally but more so when IVF children are implanted in batches and born as multiples. The researchers did a population-based retrospective cohort study in which they compared development of neurological problems in 5,680 children born after IVF, with 11,360 matched controls. While not coming out against IVF, the investigators noted, “Almost 50 000 children are now born worldwide every year after IVF, yet the effects of IVF on long-term health of infants are unknown.”