NEW ORLEANS — The use of assisted reproductive technology (ART) — of which in vitro fertilization is the most common technique — appears to be associated with higher rates of birth defects, researchers found.
Babies born to mothers who used ART to conceive were more likely to have a major birth defect compared with those born to mothers who conceived naturally, according to Dr. Lorraine Kelley-Quon of Mattel Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles, who reported the findings at the American Academy of Pediatrics meeting here. The results held up even after adjusting for potential confounders like maternal age.
In particular, ART was associated with an 81 percent increase in the relative risk for defects of the eye, a 41 percent increase in relative risk for congenital heart defects, and a 40 percent increase in relative risk for defects of the genitourinary system. Read full article.