Risk of birth defects in children born following infertility treatment

Funded Activity Summary

The development of assisted reproductive technology (ART) for infertility treatment has advanced at a tremendous pace since late 1970's. The use of ART is becoming increasingly frequent, with Australia having one of the highest rates of use internationally. Over 4,000 births result from ART annually in Australia. At the same time, minimally invasive infertility treatment-ovulation induction and insemination, remains a main option for some infertile couples and also generates several thousand births annually. A fundamental concern for those involved in infertility treatment is the health of the children born following the treatment. Evidence from many studies indicates that compared to the general population, ART babies are more likely to be a twin or triplet, have a low birth weight, be born premature, and suffer higher rates of perinatal death and cerebral palsy. These issues are gradually being addressed by transferring a single embryo in a cycle. Of greater concern is the recent reporting by a Western Australian team that the risk of major birth defects is doubled in ART children. This is a highly significant finding that has raised concern in patients and clinicians. It is imperative to verify the findings through replication in a larger study. It is equally important to identify whether the increased risk is due to potentially modifiable treatment factors or patient factors related to their infertility. This innovative study will therefore also separate patient characteristics and type of treatment, and partition the risk attributable to various factors. The health of children from infertility treatments is of fundamental concern and has become an important public health issue. This study will direct future basic research in embryology and clinical services where there is a continual need to balance technical innovation and efficacy with treatment safety. The long-term benefit will be improvement of the health status of Australian families.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2005

End Date: 01-01-2006

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $191,962.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Reproduction

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

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Other Keywords

Birth defects | Birth defects in ART children | Long term outcomes of infertility treatment | Neonatal care | Obstetrics | Paediatrics | Reproductive Medicine | Safety of Infertility treatments | Safety of infertility treatment

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