Long-term health of children conceived after assisted reproductive technology

Abstract

The aim of this narrative review is to summarize the present knowledge on long-term outcome of children born after assisted reproductive technologies (ART). The main outcomes covered are neurodevelopment including cerebral palsy, cognitive development, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disease, growth, cardiovascular function, diabetes type 1, asthma, malignancies, and reproductive health. Results have mainly been obtained from systematic reviews/meta-analyses and large registry studies. It has been shown that children born after ART, when restricted to singletons, have a similar outcome for many health conditions as their spontaneously conceived peers. For some outcomes, particularly cardiovascular function and diabetes, studies show some higher risk for ART singletons or subgroup of ART singletons. The fast introduction of new ART techniques emphasizes the importance of continuous surveillance of children born after ART. ARTICLE HISTORY

Early Embryo Exposure to Assisted Reproductive Manipulation Induced Subtle Changes in Liver Epigenetics with No Apparent Negative Health Consequences in Rabbit

“…In agreement with our findings, several studies described non-polar and semi-polar metabolism alteration after embryonic manipulation [ 10 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ]. Globally, semi-polar metabolites were up-accumulated while non-polar metabolites were down-accumulated in MOVET animals compared to NC animals, suggesting a metabolic adaptation strategy [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ]. Related to this, Feuer et al observed that conception by IVF reduces growth, impairs glucose tolerance and impacts the serum and liver metabolome, affecting a wide range of compounds such as carbohydrates, amino acids, and, especially, lipids [ 10 , 23 , 24 ].…”

“…To date, it has been reported that infants conceived by ART have a 3-fold higher incidence of epigenetic disorders than infants conceived naturally [ 12 ]. However, knowledge regarding the long-term consequences of ART procedures remains relatively modest in humans, as most of the ART children are still young [ 9 , 13 ]. Furthermore, continuous changes in ART practice and numerous confounding factors associated with health complications (e.g., parental age, male or female infertility, social status, lifestyle) make it challenging to provide detailed answers from clinical outcomes [ 5 ].…”

The impact of assisted reproductive technology treatments on maternal and offspring outcomes in singleton pregnancies: a review of systematic reviews

“…Lastly, our selected outcomes were focused to evaluate short-term maternal and offspring morbidity in ART pregnancies. Several significant medium-and longer-term outcomes (e.g., offspring neurodevelopment) are seldom reported in the follow-up cohorts of ART pregnancies (32). Incorporating these outcomes in future evidence synthesis is important to better evaluate the overall risks associated with ART treatments.…”

Features of social and hygienic characteristics in families with women of late reproductive age, raising children after ART

“…Экстракорпоральное оплодотворение (ЭКО) на сегодняшний день является одним из наиболее часто и успешно применяемых методов вспомогательных репродуктивных технологий (ВРТ). Рост числа ЭКО во многом связан с изменением социального портрета современной женщины [1][2][3][4]. Наблюдается неуклонный рост количества женщин репродуктивного возраста, которые откладывают рождение ребенка на более поздний возраст, когда сталкиваются с проблемой бесплодия [5][6][7][8].…”