Babies born via IVF are more likely to have a heart defect: new study
Babies conceived via assisted reproductive technology, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), have a 36% higher risk of developing a major heart defect than children conceived naturally, a new study finds.Still, heart defects are relatively rare.The study authors found them in 1.15% of naturally conceived babies and 1.84% of babies born after assisted reproduction.
The risk rose to 2.47% for IVF babies born as multiples.The research — one of the largest studies to date — is based on an analysis of more than 7.7 million births in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.“Previous research shows that there are increased risks for babies conceived with the help of assisted reproductive technology.These include preterm birth and low birth weight,” lead study author Ulla-Britt Wennerholm of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden said.
“We wanted to investigate whether the risk of heart defects was higher for babies born following assisted reproduction.”Wennerholm’s team compared data on babies conceived naturally versus via IVF; intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), when a single sperm is injected directly into an egg during IVF; and a frozen embryo.The researchers then discerned how many babies in each respective group were diagnosed with a serious heart defect in utero or within the first year of life.Study authors took into account factors such as the age of the mother at delivery and whether she smoked during her pregnancy or had a history of diabetes or heart defects.Researchers are hopeful their findings, published last week in the European Heart Journal, lead to timely heart defect diagnoses and life-saving intervention.“Congenital heart defects can be extremely serious, requiring specialist surgery when babies are very young, so knowing which babies are at the greatest risk can help us diagnose heart defects as early as possible and ensure the right care and treatment are given,” Wennerholm said.According to the American Society for Reproductive...