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What kind of babies are born after IVF? Are children conceived with IVF different from ordinary ones, and what consequences may arise in the future?

There are many married couples in the world who have been diagnosed with infertility. Therefore, more and more often there are children born after IVF. The in vitro fertilization procedure enables spouses to become parents and raise their child.

The method of conception belongs to the well-known and popular assisted reproductive technologies. Unfortunately, even now there are many misconceptions about what kind of babies are born after IVF. Let us consider in more detail all the myths about the procedure, how children differ from ordinary IVF babies, reviews and consequences.

Probably the biggest public misconception is that IVF babies are infertile. Doctors of the reproductive centers are inclined to agree that this belief is fundamentally wrong. In support of their words, experts always cite the example that IVF children began to appear since 1978. At this time, a girl was born who, in the future, was able to become a mother in a natural way.

Also, many are interested in how IVF children differ from ordinary children. As practice shows, there is no fundamental difference between babies. Moreover, the health of babies born after IVF is sometimes better than that of a normal baby. According to medical statistics, a disease such as Down syndrome occurs in them much less often than in babies conceived naturally. Thus, parents with children born after IVF leave only positive health reviews.

If you ask the question whether healthy babies are born after IVF, then the answer will definitely be positive. There is a group of people who call extracorporeal babies, IVF test tube freaks.

But one can argue with this, because when biological materials are taken for conception, they are thoroughly examined, and only the best sperm and eggs are allowed for fertilization. Therefore, it is safe to say that a healthy child will be born after IVF, because the likelihood of transmission of genetic pathologies and chronic diseases is minimized.

However, it cannot be denied that the full fertility of in vitro babies has not been studied. Therefore, the likelihood that there may be infertile children born after IVF still exists. Here, experts rely on some facts. First of all, an IVF test-tube baby requires more careful care than a baby conceived and born naturally. But all care should be aimed at improving the level of reproductive health.

Also, people born after extracorporeal conception, in the case when the donor's high-quality gametes were used during the procedure, have a greater chance of producing their own offspring at puberty. Therefore, there is controversy as to whether IVF babies can have babies of their own.

Statistics

Many couples who wish to conceive a baby artificially are interested in the statistics of IVF children. It should be understood that this assisted reproductive technology has existed for a little over 37 years, which is not so much.

Moreover, on the territory of the post-Soviet space, it began to be implemented quite recently, which makes it impossible to provide extensive data on various indicators. Those who believe that IVF children are infertile are not able to convince the statistics, although there are many examples when people born in this way gave healthy offspring.

Yes, there is no clear medical statistics that children born from IVF will not be infertile. And this fact undoubtedly worries parents. But we must not forget that this technology of conception has existed not so long ago, therefore, it has not yet come to collect data on whether IVF children are infertile or not.

Now many children after IVF have not yet reached reproductive age, and those who have already crossed this line do not always want to make their intimate life public for everyone to see. Based on this, one cannot affirmatively state that children born from IVF are infertile, especially since with natural conception, the likelihood of having babies who are not able to give offspring also exists.

Delusions

You can meet people who believe that an IVF baby is something unusual and not always natural. Someone thinks that such babies are underdeveloped, or weakened. Others are not convinced that IVF babies are infertile. All this simultaneously scares and alarms future parents who are unable to conceive a baby on their own.

IVF children, what they are in terms of physical and mental development, and also learn about the most common misconceptions about such babies.

Weakness

First of all, unrecognized people believe that children born under IVF have a low level of health and are born too weak. This is a rather serious delusion, if only because such babies are always desirable, and their parents have a good level of health.

Moreover, IVF test tube babies are always under the supervision of experienced specialists in reproductive clinics. Thanks to this, babies are always carried out preventive examinations on time and tell their parents when it is best to get vaccinated or carry out any procedure. Doctors carefully monitor the health of these babies, therefore, IVF diseases are much less common in children than in ordinary babies.

Reproduction

Quite often you can hear questions of this kind: "Is it true that children born after IVF are infertile?" The danger that the baby will inherit the parents' problem in the future is frightening. That is why couples, when contacting a reproductive center, always ask doctors if it is true that IVF children are infertile.

For the answer, experts cite, albeit insignificant, but real statistical data. They clearly show that the statement that IVF children cannot have children is wrong. Yes, there is a possibility of infertility, but it is minimal.

Genetics

To the question: whether children born from IVF can have their own children, parents always find an answer. The next concern is the likelihood of inherited genetic diseases. Again, medical statistics should be consulted. It always contains not only the answer to the question about what children are in IVF, can they have offspring, but also the probability of genetic abnormalities is indicated, which is minimized.

If you answer the question: what is an IVF child, then it is worth remembering the high-tech pre-implantation diagnostics of biological materials, which makes it possible to exclude the fertilization of a pathological egg. Accordingly, children "from a test tube" (reviews of IVF confirm this) are initially well examined and they are unlikely to develop serious illnesses.

Due to the fact that after conception, on about the fourth day, experts examine the embryo, during this period it is possible to establish whether the child will have developmental abnormalities, complex defects or genetic pathologies. IVF babies are healthy in the future, but the risk of developing pathologies still exists.

Phenotype

With what level of health and whether it is true that eco-friendly children are infertile, it is already clear. Often, parents are afraid that babies born after in vitro fertilization will not be like them. To make children from IVF look like mom and dad, it is worth choosing the right donor for fertilization.

When IVF children are planned, the photo of the person from whom the biological material was taken will most likely not be provided. However, spouses always have access to a detailed donor questionnaire. Thanks to this data, it is possible to select the most similar or identical phenotype. If everything is done correctly, then the children born from IVF will be as similar to their parents as possible.

Intelligence

There is an opinion that IVF children have problems in terms of mental development. This is another serious and misleading misconception. The fact is that massive studies were carried out, during which experts compared the level of intellectual development of ordinary babies and eco-friendly ones.

Those who are interested in IVF children, what they are, photos can be asked from their parents. But thanks to research, it was possible to establish that such babies often have high IQ indicators, they begin to walk, talk and dance earlier.

Parents should understand that people who claim that sick children are born after IVF have simply never seen them, but know about the procedure by hearsay, and their beliefs are based only on their own opinion and on the delusions of society.

Psychology

When it comes to what kind of children are obtained after IVF, the developmental features of babies should also be considered in more detail. Each married couple, faced with the problem of the impossibility of conception, coming to the reproductive clinic is already mentally and physically ready for all the difficulties of this process.

Whether spouses have healthy children after IVF, or with any deviations directly depends on the degree of complexity of infertility. If a couple has genetic problems, then it is better for them to use biological materials, which in the future will guarantee the appearance of healthy offspring.

When babies are born after in vitro fertilization, parents are interested in such an aspect as the psychology of IVF children. To understand this issue well, experts always recommend contacting a doctor in this area of ​​medicine. Thanks to his advice, you can not only preserve the psyche of the child, but also build the correct model of upbringing yourself.

It is important to understand that babies born with IVF are less likely to differ from normal babies born after natural conception. That is why doctors do not advise taking care of the offspring too much, the health of IVF children is almost always good, which means that they will develop in the same way as their peers.

IVF child psychology is a very individual question. It is up to the couple to decide for themselves whether to tell the baby as a teenager or older about how he was born. Such information can traumatize a child to some extent, especially if he is very emotional and receptive.

Children born through IVF will definitely be relatives for mom and dad at the genetic level, but whether they will be able to explain this to the baby is an ambiguous question. If the parents decide that the baby should know the whole truth, then it is better to enlist the support and advice of an experienced psychologist.

Infertility

The biggest fear among parents is that children after IVF are infertile. To dissuade them, they should talk to a fertility specialist. The fact is that the inability to conceive a baby is not an independent disease, therefore, it cannot be inherited.

It cannot be said with certainty that eco-friendly children are infertile, since all the factors that provoke this problem can equally be present in ordinary babies and a child after in vitro fertilization.

Let's look at a few examples. Let's say a woman comes to the clinic who cannot be a mother because of a congenital pathology or an anomaly in the development of the pelvic organs. In this case, children born through IVF may be infertile. But there are two conditions: a girl must be born, and also inherit the mother's pathology.

At the same time, if the problem with conception is acquired, for example, obstruction of the fallopian tubes, then to the question: IVF children, can they have children, one can answer that such a possibility will definitely be there.

If we turn to the studies that were carried out in Germany and the UK, then scientists managed to find out that children born after IVF are infertile only in 6%, as for boys, provided that their genetic father had problems with reproductive function that could not be eliminated until the moment of in vitro fertilization.

What are the future consequences of IVF children, whether they are infertile, it will not be possible to find out even in the case of preimplantation genetic diagnostics. However, this procedure will eliminate the risk of giving birth to a baby with complex genetic diseases.

It is also worth understanding that if there were problems with reproductive function in the family, it is even better if the couple has IVF children, the consequences in the future will not affect their health, and the babies will be able to protect themselves from the problem of infertility.

Effects

If parents are looking for an answer to the question: IVF children, the consequences in the future, feedback from parents who have undergone this procedure can help to understand and identify any risks to development and health.

Let's consider what the consequences of IVF for a child can be. First of all, it should be said that children with IVF can appear only if poor quality biological material was used for fertilization.

In the case of the presence and use of bad eggs or sperm, such children from IVF can have consequences in the form of deficiencies in the development of certain body tissues, which will lead to the formation of a cleft palate, cleft lip, improper or insufficient work of the heart, stomach or intestines.

Someone thinks that the stimulation of the ovaries in a woman before fertilization has a bad effect on the body and the IVF child is overloaded with hormones. Against this background, he may develop problems with endocrine function after birth.

Often, children after IVF are in good health, and the likelihood that the mother will have to lie on preservation and take heavy medications exists even with the onset of a natural pregnancy.

We can say that if IVF children are born, the consequences for the baby's body after this procedure are not dangerous. To make sure of this, you can first talk to a reproductive specialist at the clinic and ask for statistics, which will describe in what percentage of babies after birth various defects or diseases were found. You can also read scientific articles about the consequences of IVF for children.

Differences

Many married couples are looking for information about what IVF children are, the consequences, reviews, and more. Another topic of general controversy is the reasoning about whether IVF babies are different from ordinary babies. If we consider this issue from the point of view of science, then it will not be possible to find any differences.

In world practice, there have been many studies on the topic of whether IVF children are different from ordinary babies or not. As a result, information was obtained that regardless of how the child was conceived, if he does not have health problems, then the level of development of peers is the same. Parents who have children born from IVF confirm this fact with reviews.

But if you delve deeper, to the question: how do IVF children differ from ordinary ones, you can see that they have a higher level of intelligence. Each individual child is more or less successful in various fields: music, singing, sports, creativity, and so on.

Also, when teachers were asked if IVF children were different from ordinary children, teachers pointed out that in the first case, babies excel better in more complex subjects.

The consequences of IVF for children conceived in this way can be very diverse. After numerous studies by foreign and Russian specialists, observations were made that children conceived as a result of IVF have a higher risk of intrauterine growth retardation, hypoxia, and perinatal damage to the nervous system.

The consequences of IVF for children conceived in this way can be very diverse. After numerous studies by foreign and Russian specialists, it was concluded that an IVF child has a higher risk of intrauterine growth retardation, hypoxia, and perinatal damage to the nervous system. Their mothers were over 30-40 years old, suffered from infertility for 5-15 years, were unsuccessfully treated for it and had several chronic diseases.

Almost all women belonged to the high-risk group of complicated pregnancy and childbirth.

The first ever successful IVF in the world was performed in the UK in 1978. The first IVF baby to emerge from an egg fertilized in a test tube was Louise Brown. To date, more than four million children have already been born as a result of the IVF procedure.

And rightly the question arises: what negative consequences of IVF can be for a child and whether an IVF child can have his own, naturally conceived children.

Frequent consequences of IVF pregnancies include:

  • premature birth;
  • cases of low birth weight;
  • anomalies in the development of the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems;
  • neurological problems


The frequency of such disorders in children conceived by IVF is higher than in children from natural pregnancy. Children after IVF require especially careful supervision of doctors and parents.

IVF children consequences in the future: Down syndrome, disability.

Very often you can face the misconception that it is easy to give birth to a baby through IVF. But do not forget that IVF pregnancy itself may not proceed calmly, as well as the consequences of IVF for a child can be quite serious.

First of all, there is a high probability of genetic disorders.

An IVF child is more likely to be born with a cleft upper lip and has serious disorders in the development of the digestive system than a child conceived naturally.

In IVF children, in the future, disorders such as autism, mental retardation may be observed. With a certain frequency, children experience Down syndrome with IVF, although it has been proven that IVF and Down syndrome have no direct relationship.

It is not uncommon for IVF-born children to be disabled.

How to avoid negative consequences after IVF


There are not many studies on the preservation of fertility (fertility) of children conceived with IVF. The first IVF child in the world Louise Brown was able to become a mother naturally at the age of 28, giving birth to a son weighing 2700 g.

But as for boys conceived with the help of IVF and the ICSI method (intracytoplasmic injection of a single sperm into the egg), whose fathers themselves suffered from infertility, there is a possibility of negative consequences of IVF - the transmission of hereditary diseases associated with infertility to children.

However, the risk of transmission of hereditary diseases and negative consequences after IVF can be significantly reduced by using preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) in the IVF cycle.

PGD ​​is an analysis of genetic disorders in embryos even before their implantation into the uterine cavity. The study is carried out at the earliest stage of human development, when the embryo is only a few days old and consists of several cells. PGD ​​allows you to select healthy embryos even before they are transferred to the uterus, as well as to determine the sex of the unborn child.

This diagnostics is quite expensive, but allows significantly reduce the risk of transmission of serious diseases by inheritance, such as cystic fibrosis, hemophilia, etc. Thanks to this diagnosis, it is possible to exclude Down syndrome after IVF.


There are several risk groups for whom preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is recommended.

  • women over 35;
  • men over 39 years old;
  • married couples after repeated unsuccessful attempts
  • men with severe spermatogenesis disorders (single spermatozoa, high percentage of abnormal spermatozoa, etc.);
  • women with a history of recurrent miscarriage (especially in cases of early termination of pregnancy);
  • history of unsuccessful IVF consequences (more than two);
  • couples with a high genetic risk (family cases of hereditary diseases, karyotype abnormalities).

Infertile couples, especially those over 38 years old and with the above diseases, are strongly advised not to save money during the procedure and to carry out PGD in order to avoid negative IVF consequences and have healthier offspring.

Children after IVF with donor gametes

Studies of "germplasm" have shown that children conceived by IVF using donor sperm or donor eggs remain the genetic heirs of the biological parents, that is, those whose egg and sperm were involved in fertilization. Is the risk of such a pregnancy justified? All IVF consequences for a woman are associated with the use of hormonal drugs. Everyone understands that this cannot go unnoticed. Of course, the body suffers from this. This is evidenced by the numerous reviews of those who went through this procedure. Most women (mind you, most) complain that their body is not functioning properly, but not a single woman regrets taking this risk in order to become a mother.

The number of people suffering from infertility is increasing every day. Moreover, many couples, having got married, are in no hurry to have babies, but prefer to first accumulate capital and get on their feet, and then have offspring.

When they do decide to take such an important step, their age crosses the line of 30 years. Many couples have reproductive problems. The best option in such cases would be IVF - in vitro fertilization. But what will be the children born this way? We learn about this from the article.

Are there any differences between IVF children and ordinary children?

Many women are fond of gardening and know that some varieties of fruit crops (for example, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants) need to be grown in seedlings, that is, first, plant the seed in specially prepared soil in a small pot, and then transplant the grown sprout into open ground.

This is done in order for the plant to ripen and bear fruit sooner. If the seeds of the same tomato are immediately sown into the ground, the fruiting process will be long, and the crop itself will become more often attacked by pests.

One way or another, but in the first case, and in the second, the tomato produces fruits with approximately the same external and taste characteristics.

The same situation is with children born with IVF. The method differs only in the method of conception, and then the pregnancy itself proceeds in exactly the same way as in mothers who become pregnant naturally.

It is not always possible to conceive without medical help, but there is always a chance to raise a full-fledged child, instead of looking for ghostly flaws in him.

IVF baby myths

Despite the rapid development of medical technologies and the constant improvement of methods of treating infertility, a huge number of people still consider the IVF method dangerous, and children born as a result of in vitro fertilization are either inferior or simply not like ordinary children.

There are many myths around this topic that can interfere with the marital happiness of many married couples.

Here are the four most persistent misconceptions:

  • IVF children are inferior to their peers in terms of the speed of physical and mental maturation;
  • such guys have weaker immunity, and therefore get sick more often;
  • such babies are born with genetic pathologies;
  • those born by in vitro fertilization cannot conceive their own babies naturally.

Let's analyze each myth in more detail.

Developmental delays

According to statistics, IVF children, on the contrary, are ahead of their peers in development. There are two explanations for this.

Firstly, these guys are usually long-awaited, and therefore more loved than those who were born through spontaneous pregnancy. It is obvious that a father and mother will not cherish souls in their child, and the time spent together will certainly have a beneficial effect on the development of the personality.

And secondly, modern medicine is so scrupulous about the process of transplanting a healthy embryo into the uterus that it conducts PGD - pre-implantation genetic diagnostics, which completely excludes the possibility of giving birth to children with serious disabilities. More details on this method below.

Frequent illnesses

There is no scientifically substantiated evidence to support such a theory. IVF babies, like ordinary children, can be vaccinated and carried out preventive procedures.

INTERESTING! For those who believe in esotericism, it is important to know: Canadian researchers have proven that the biofield (aura) of IVF children is within the normal range.

The presence of defects and deviations

Since the fetus was conceived as a result of the fusion of the mother's egg and the father's sperm, it will be genetically similar to the parents, so the likelihood of developing certain hereditary abnormalities is always possible. Usually older couples use reproductive medicine services, which can aggravate the situation.

In addition, the development of the body is influenced by the ecological state of the environment, and the lifestyle of the parents, and the characteristics of the mother's body. To avoid some hereditary diseases, doctors carry out the same PGD.

According to statistics, congenital malformations are found in every thirty-fifth IVF child against every fiftieth baby born naturally. As you can see, the gap is minimal, and the studies were conducted without taking into account the health status of the parents.

In addition, scientists have shown that some genetic diseases, such as Down syndrome, are much less common in in vitro fertilization children.

Sterility

The first test tube baby was born in 1978, exactly 40 years ago. Since then, more than 5 million "flowers of life" have been born in this way. Many of them have already had babies of their own, which suggests that children conceived with the help of in vitro fertilization are not at all infertile.

For example, now Louise Brown, the girl who was the first to be born by the miracle method, is already raising a beautiful healthy 10-year-old boy, born naturally.

Nevertheless, science claims that problems with conception can be hereditary, so it is possible that, since the parents had such problems, then the offspring can be sterile.

What doctors say about IVF babies

To increase the likelihood of engraftment, doctors transfer multiple embryos. Previously, it was 4-5 units, now this number has been reduced to two. Thus, pregnancies after IVF are often multiple. The probability that it will be possible to get pregnant the first time is about 30%, from the second or third - already as much as 70%.

Quite often, such babies are born prematurely, ahead of time, as a result of a heavy load on the mother's body due to multiple pregnancies. Fortunately, babies recover very quickly (for about six months) and begin to develop without visible consequences for their health.

  1. Do not "choke" the child with your concern - singing ditties in front of them, enrolling in all paid classes in a row or holding contests for entertainment! It is better to read fairy tales at night or make crafts from a magazine with your baby. In short, only a varied vacation will allow you to raise a mentally healthy person.
  2. Do not inspire the offspring that he is special, since he was born from a test tube. He's no worse, but no better - he's just another little man.

Is infertility inherited

Whether infertility is inherited, scientists still have not figured out. It often happens that healthy offspring are born to sick parents, but already the third generation cannot have children again.

Dr. Ramlau-Hansen from Denmark conducted a study in which she interviewed men whose parents were infertile about their sperm motility.

The results showed that a certain proportion of those respondents whose mothers took fertility drugs suffers from low sperm activity. But with what exactly their problem is connected - with heredity or with the harmful influence of medications - it was not possible to find out.

Unfortunately, female infertility, as practice shows, is transmitted much more often than male infertility.

Scientists all over the world are more inclined to believe that, yes, infertility is heredity, however, there has been no precise evidence in favor of such a theory.

How PGD helps prevent fertile infertility

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis(PGD) is a method for diagnosing genetic diseases that is used in the case of in vitro fertilization.

Its essence lies in the collection of one blastomere (cells of the embryo at the stage of its formation) on the third day of the cultivation of a fertilized egg in laboratory conditions. Such a procedure will not disrupt the further development of the embryo, however, it will allow reproductive specialists-embryoologists to identify a malfunction in the genetic apparatus of the unborn baby.

PGD ​​is prescribed in such cases:

  • when parents are carriers of such mutations that can change the structure of chromosomes;
  • if the father is over 39 years old;
  • if the mother is over 35 years old;
  • when there are unsuccessful IVF attempts for a given couple.

PGD ​​allows you to select the strongest embryo, from which a healthy fetus will then form, and the baby born will not suffer from infertility or any other genetic disease.

Watch online about the personal experience of a mother with many children in this video:

Conclusion

IVF babies are no different from babies born as a result of a normal pregnancy.

Many celebrities use reproductive medicine services. For example, the twins of Pugacheva and Galkin or the children of Dmitry Hvorostovsky from their first marriage were born thanks to IVF.

Couples who have already entered into the protocol of in vitro fertilization and those who only dare to do this invariably ask themselves the question: what kind of children are born after IVF? Are they susceptible to any diseases? Will mutations occur in subsequent generations?

The fear of the unknown is so great that spouses abandon the idea of ​​having a child conceived in the laboratory. But in fact, IVF absolutely does not cause genetic abnormalities in the future. To make sure of this, you need to understand exactly how the embryo is formed outside the mother's body.

The mechanism of conception in a test tube

In order to produce a conception, a woman takes a puncture of the follicles, which contain a mature and ready-to-fertilize egg. On the same day, sperm is collected from a man either naturally or surgically. Both sperm and eggs are placed in a special medium in a test tube, where fertilization takes place within a few hours. The whole process of conception is completely identical to what happens in the mother's body.

The result is several embryos that are grown for two or five days, and then transplanted directly into the uterus. At the same time, no interference with the structure or genetic code of the embryo occurs, therefore, it is absolutely identical to that which would have formed in the fallopian tubes of a woman during natural conception. IVF is not an intervention in the genetics of the embryo, it is a procedure that aims to help the sperm to penetrate the egg membrane.

Features of medical examination of IVF children in the first years of life

According to the observations of mothers and specialists, babies born after the in vitro fertilization procedure are no different from their peers who were conceived naturally. However, due to the fact that the first IVF children appeared, by scientific standards, relatively recently, doctors are trying to pay increased attention to their development and health. The very first child, Louise Brown, born after in vitro fertilization, is now over 30 years old. She is no different from those around her.

But IVF is still considered a method not fully understood, therefore, additional examinations of the child may be offered to parents:

  • Visiting an immunologist-allergist - it is necessary in order to find out the features of the baby's immune system, his tendency to allergic reactions. The fears of the pediatrician who referred the child to this specialist may be caused by the fact that during IVF the selection of eggs and spermatozoa, and then the obtained embryos, is done manually. Thus, the principle of natural selection does not work and the baby born may not be very resistant to infections and various kinds of allergens.
  • Visit a geneticist - appointed in cases where the pediatrician admits that during PGD (genetic study of the embryo before transplantation into the uterus) mistakes were made, the selection was made incorrectly and the child has one or another genetic pathology.
  • Additional consultations with a neurologist - are rather of a reinsurance nature and do not mean at all that your child has problems with psychomotor development. The increased attention of the doctor is due to the fact that women who decide to undergo artificial insemination are often already of age or have serious problems with the health of the organs of the reproductive system. Accordingly, childbirth (often multiple) can pass with complications, which will lead to problems of IVF children regarding damage to the central nervous system.

Myths about test tube babies

Artificial insemination cannot yet be called an ordinary procedure, so the prospects for children who have appeared using this method are shrouded in myths. They often have no reasonable basis.

ECO-d male children are sterile- there is still no evidence of such a statement. Father's infertility, which is most often acquired rather than congenital, is unlikely to be inherited.

Children lag behind their peers- the statement also does not have any evidence. On the contrary, research by scientists has shown that the IQ of such children is slightly higher than that of their peers.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a fertility treatment in which an egg is fertilized with sperm outside the body (in a test tube). IVF is the mainstay of fertility treatment when other conservative treatments have not been successful.

This medical technology was first successfully applied in the UK in 1977, resulting in the birth of Louise Brown in 1978, the first human conceived in a test tube. According to the latest data, more than 8 million children have been born on our planet with the help of IVF since then. (ScienceDaily, July 3, 2018).

In 2010, embryologist Robert G. Edwards was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The second genius of our time, gynecologist Patrick Steptoe, is not awarded this honor, since he died on March 21, 1988, which is contrary to the statute of the award.

It would seem that this is a blessing from above: millions of infertile couples have finally received their "lucky ticket", now everyone has a real chance to change their destiny and give birth to a healthy child. But, unfortunately, IVF, like any medical intervention, has its own "side effects".

Risks Associated with Multiple Pregnancy

This is what the English version of the popular Wikipedia site tells about (this information is omitted in the Russian Wikipedia) in an article on in vitro fertilization.

The main complication of IVF is the risk of multiple pregnancies. This is directly related to the fact that during in vitro fertilization, several embryos are transferred into the uterine cavity at once in order to increase the likelihood of pregnancy. Multiple pregnancies are associated with an increased risk of termination, complications during childbirth, premature birth, and neonatal complications with potential long-term impairment. A double-blind, randomized study of 73 test-tube babies (33 boys and 40 girls) found that 8.7% of infants from singleton pregnancies and 54.2% of twins were weight at birth< 2500 грамм. (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Singleton pregnancy does not rule out complications

Recent evidence also suggests that babies from singleton pregnancies after IVF are at a higher risk of low birth weight for unknown reasons.

A 2012 study at the University of Adelaide, Australia found that the risk of serious complications such as stillbirth, premature birth, low birth weight and neonatal death is about twice as high in infants conceived with assisted reproductive technologies. compared to naturally conceived babies (sciencedaily.com)

Researchers at the University of Adelaide's Robinson Institute compared the results of more than 300,000 births in South Australia over a 17-year period. Of these, 4,300 children were born using assisted reproductive technologies.

They observed how different forms of currently available treatment (in vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), stimulation of superovulation and cryopreservation of embryos) affect poor labor outcomes.

“Compared to children conceived spontaneously in couples with no reproductive problems, infants from singleton pregnancies after fertility treatment are almost twice as likely to stillbirth, more than twice the risk of premature birth, almost three times the risk of low birth weight at birth and twice the risk of death within the first 28 days after birth, ”says study leader Professor Michael Davis of the University of Adelaide.

“The use of frozen embryos eliminated all the significant adverse effects associated with ICSI, but not with IVF. However, the use of frozen embryos is also associated with an increased risk of macrosomia in infants conceived with IVF and ICSI, ”the researcher explains.

Birth defects in IVF children

A 2013 study suggests that children conceived through IVF (with or without ICSI) have a relative risk of birth defects 1.32% higher than naturally conceived babies (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).

A 2008 analysis of data from the National Survey on the Prevention of Congenital Malformations in the United States showed that some birth defects are significantly more common in infants conceived with IVF, in particular, septal heart defects, congenital cleft lip and / or palate, esophageal atresia, and anorectal atresia; the reasons are not clear (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).

However, in a cohort study of 308,974 infants (of whom 6163 were conceived by assisted reproductive technologies, children were tracked from birth to five years of age), the increased risk of IVF-related birth defects was found to be leveled by taking into account the “parental factors ”(ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).

Parental factors include maternal age, smoking, etc. The authors of the Danish National Registry study state: "... our results indicate that the reported increased prevalence of congenital malformations observed in singleton infants born with assisted reproductive technologies is in part due to underlying infertility or underlying causes." www.bmj.com).

Intellectual disabilities in children conceived with IVF

IVF treatments used for the most severe forms of male infertility have been found to be associated with an increased risk of intellectual disability and autism in children.

Although test-tube babies are rarely diagnosed with autism and intellectual disabilities, the risks are increased with multiple pregnancies. One study provides important information for parents and doctors about the risk ratio of modern fertility treatments.

This study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, is the largest of its kind. It was carried out by researchers from King's College London (UK), Karolinska Institute (Sweden) and Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York (USA) (sciencedaily).

Using anonymous data from the Swedish government registry, the researchers analyzed data from more than 2.5 million children born between 1982 and 2007 and identified those who were clinically diagnosed with autism or intellectual disability before 2009 (IQs below 70 ). Of 2.5 million children, 1.2% (30,959) were born after IVF. Of the 6,959 children diagnosed with autism, 103 were born after IVF; out of 15,830 children with intellectual disabilities, 180 were conceived in vitro. Given that multiple pregnancies are a known risk factor for premature birth and certain neurodevelopmental disorders, the researchers also compared single and multiple births.

Sven Sandin, co-author of the study at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London, says: “IVF procedures vary greatly in complexity. When we looked at rates among children after IVF as a whole, we found that there is no overall increase in the risk of developing autism, but there is a slightly increased risk of mental retardation. When we separated the various IVF procedures, we found that 'traditional' IVF is safe, but IVF by the ICSI method, which is recommended specifically for male infertility, is associated with an increased risk of both intellectual disabilities and autism in children. "

The ICSI procedure appeared in 1992 and is recommended for male infertility. Today, ICSI is used in about half of in vitro fertilization cases. This method involves injecting a single sperm directly into the egg, as opposed to standard IVF, during which fertilization takes place in a test tube.

Babies born after IVF + ICSI (with fresh or frozen embryos) were at an increased risk of mental retardation (51% higher). The percentage was even higher if preterm births occurred (73% higher). Thus, even taking into account multiple and preterm births, IVF with ICSI with fresh embryos was associated with an increased risk of intellectual disabilities.

Dr. A. Reichenberg of the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London and Mount Sinai School of Medicine, who led the study, adds: “Our study shows that therapies developed to treat male infertility are associated with an increased risk of developmental disorders in offspring. The exact mechanism is unclear, but there are a number of risk factors ranging from choosing an IVF procedure to multiple pregnancies and premature birth. Although mental retardation or autism remains a rare outcome in IVF conception, knowledge of the increased risk associated with specific IVF techniques allows children at risk to be identified and potentially monitored for developmental disorders, thus providing early diagnosis of the disease. timely assistance and treatment ”.

Oncology in children after IVF

At the same time, researchers from the University. Ben-Gurion in the Negev, Israel, found that babies born to mothers who had received fertility treatments were at an increased risk of developing many types of early cancers and tumors (neoplasms).

In March 2017, the results of a population cohort study of children born between 1991 and 2013 were published in the American journal Obstetrics and Gynecology. at the Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheva, Israel, from birth to 18 years of age (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

“In Israel, all infertility treatments, including in vitro fertilization (IVF) and stimulation of superovulation, are fully covered by insurance, which allows citizens of all walks of life to have access to these treatments,” says Professor Scheiner, MD, MD, Deputy Dean Faculty of Medical Sciences, Ben-Gurion University, member of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a doctor at the Soroka Medical Center.

Of the 242,187 newborns who participated in the study, 237,863 (98.3%) were conceived spontaneously (naturally); 2,603 ​​(1.1%) were conceived by in vitro fertilization, and 1,721 (0.7%) were conceived after ovulation stimulation.

Over the entire follow-up period of about 10.6 years, 1498 neoplasms (0.6%) were diagnosed. The highest incidence rate was found among children born after IVF (1.5 / 1000), slightly lower in children born after ovulation stimulation (1.0 / 1000) and the lowest in children conceived naturally (0.59 / 1000).

“The study shows that there is a clear relationship between IVF and overall rates of benign and malignant neoplasms in children,” says Professor Scheiner. “Given that the number of children conceived after fertility treatment continues to grow, it is important to monitor their health.”

Other defects in children conceived with IVF

Some long-term evidence suggests that IVF may be associated with an increased risk of hypertension, impaired fasting glycemia, increased body fat, accelerated bone age, subclinical thyroid disorders, clinical depression in adolescents, and alcohol abuse in offspring. (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).

However, it is not yet known whether these potential problems are a consequence of the IVF procedure, a consequence of unfavorable coincidences of obstetric and gynecological characteristics of a woman undergoing IVF treatment, hereditary factors of the child, or other, as yet unknown reasons associated with the in vitro fertilization procedure itself. (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).

IVF, including ICSI, is associated with an increased risk of genomic memory diseases (including Prader-Willi syndrome and Angelman syndrome), with the risk being 3.7%. (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).

In conclusion, the researchers talk about the need to continue working, to analyze the possible causes of unfavorable outcomes of childbirth after IVF. The impossibility of long-term predictions is also indicated (the first person conceived by the IVF method is only 40 today). Parents-to-be should make the most informed choice.

There are two bowls on the scales: on the one hand, the desire at all costs to have a child of their own, on the other, numerous studies that speak of the likely multiple risks of pathologies in children conceived with the help of assisted reproductive technologies, as well as threats to health and even the lives of women who have gone through IVF. More on this in the following publications.

Translation by Ksenia Naumova