A recent study published in the European Heart Journal has revealed that children conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF) face a heightened risk of congenital heart defects (CHDs). As highlighted by The New York Times, the research involved monitoring the health of children born via IVF in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland from 1985 to 2014. The examination of medical records from over seven million Nordic children indicated a potential risk to heart health associated with IVF procedures.
Titled “Congenital Heart Defects in Children Born After Assisted Reproductive Technology: A CoNARTaS Study,” the research initiated with the hypothesis that children conceived through assisted reproductive technology (ART) experience poorer perinatal outcomes compared to their naturally conceived counterparts. The study aimed to determine whether IVF significantly increases the likelihood of congenital heart defects—defined as “structural anomalies of the heart and intrathoracic vessels during pregnancy and birth”—in comparison to naturally conceived children.
To conduct the study, researchers utilized a comprehensive approach, linking data from national ART registries, medical birth registries (MBRs), national patient registries (NPRs), cause of death registries, and birth records across the four Nordic nations. The dataset included all live-born children, with birth years extending from 1984 to 2015.
Among the 7,747,637 children analyzed, 171,735 were conceived using ART. The research scrutinized the health outcomes of these children, including those who were implanted after being frozen at the embryo stage, as well as those implanted without prior freezing. Notably, no correlation was found between congenital heart defects and the freezing of embryos prior to implantation.
The analysis focused on children diagnosed with congenital heart defects at birth or within their first year, assessing the severity of these defects while considering maternal age and health status. Results indicated that the incidence of congenital heart defects was higher in infants conceived via IVF—1.84% of ART-conceived children were affected compared to 1.15% of those conceived naturally. Furthermore, the study noted that children conceived through IVF were more likely to be born prematurely, which contributes to an increased risk of heart defects early in life.
The findings also highlighted that the risk of congenital heart defects is significantly greater for multiples conceived through IVF. The study pointed out a critical concern inherent in the IVF process, which often involves the simultaneous implantation of multiple embryos. This approach leads to higher instances of twins, triplets, and more, who face various health complications, including an elevated risk of spontaneous or intentional death.
The study’s data indicated that nearly double the percentage of multiples conceived through ART developed congenital heart defects compared to singletons. Specifically, among singletons conceived via ART, 1.62% (2,059 children) were diagnosed with major CHDs, whereas 2.47% (1,100 children) of multiples conceived through IVF suffered from significant heart defects, with 0.44% (195 children) experiencing severe congenital heart issues.
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