AsianScientist (Mar. 5, 2014) – Young adults conceived through IVF and other assisted reproductive technologies (ART) have grown up as healthy individuals, comparing well to those conceived naturally, the world’s largest study into ART young adults has found.
The study, published in the international journal Fertility and Sterility, showed young adults who were conceived using ART had similar quality of life to non-ART children along with a normal body mass index and development. Educational outcomes, including tertiary admission ranked scores and completion of tertiary education, were also similar between the two groups.
Researchers interviewed 656 mothers who used ART and their 547 young adult offspring aged between 18 and 29 years, and compared this to reports from 868 mothers and their 549 young adult offspring who were conceived without ART.
Professor Jane Fisher of the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University said that their study was the largest to date of IVF-conceived young adults, and fills a gap in knowledge about the long-term health outcomes of children conceived via ART.
“Its main finding is that most children conceived with ART techniques such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF) grow into healthy young adults, with a quality of life, physical development and educational achievement comparable to those of their non-ART conceived peers,” Professor Fisher said.
Researchers plan to continue to follow the ART-conceived children, testing their own fertility and continuing to evaluate their health status to determine if there are any important long term medical legacies of ART.
Based on their findings, the researchers will now contribute to the translation of the study’s findings by incorporating them into accessible resources for people contemplating IVF.
The article can be found at: Halliday et al. (2014) Comparing Indicators Of Health And Development Of Singleton Young Adults Conceived With And Without Assisted Reproductive Technology.
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Source: Monash University; Photo: jiparkerFlickr/CC.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.
