Differences in growth, weight and body fat levels of children conceived through fertility treatment are small and no longer apparent by late adolescence, new research suggests. The study, led by the University of Bristol, was published today in JAMA Network Open [July 26]sought to address concerns about whether fertility treatment is associated with growth, weight, and body fat from childhood to adulthood.
Since the first birth of a child through in vitro fertilization (IVF), questions have been raised about the risks to children conceived in this way. Although previous studies have shown an increased risk of low birth weight and preterm birth in offspring conceived by assisted reproductive technology (ART), relatively little is known about long-term growth and weight gain.
The study, led by an international research group of the Assisted Reproductive Technology and Future Health (ART-Health) Cohort Collaboration, assessed whether conception through ART, which primarily involves IVF, was associated with the growth, weight and body fat from infancy to onset. adulthood
Using data on 158,000 European, Asian and Canadian children conceived by ART, the data sample included 8,600 children from Bristol’s Children of the 90s study, a leading global health study based in Bristol that has followed 14,000 pregnant women and the his children since then. 1991
The team’s findings show that those conceived with ART were on average shorter, lighter and thinner from childhood to early adolescence compared to their naturally conceived peers. However, the differences were small across all ages and decreased with age.
Dr Ahmed Elhakeem, Senior Research Associate in Epidemiology at Bristol Medical School: Population Health Sciences (PHS) at the University of Bristol and lead author of the study, said: “This is important work .Conception by ART has increased over the past three decades. In the UK, just over one in 30 children have been conceived by ART, so we would expect that, on average, one child in each class of primary has been conceived in this way.the risks to the children conceived.
“Parents and their ART-conceived children can be reassured that this may mean they are slightly smaller and lighter from childhood to adolescence, but these differences are unlikely to have any health implications. We recognize that it is important that as more people taking ART become adults, we continue to explore any potential health risks in older age.”
This important research is only possible through large-scale international collaboration and longitudinal health studies, where participants provide health data throughout their lifetime. We are especially grateful to the European Research Council and Horizon 2020 for making this possible and to all the study participants and researchers.”
Deborah Lawlor, Professor of Epidemiology, MRC Research Fellow and Chair of the British Heart Foundation and lead author at Bristol Medical School PHS
Peter Thompson, chief executive of the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA), said: “Around 1 in 7 couples have difficulty conceiving in the UK, resulting in around 53,000 patients a year have fertility treatment (IVF or donor insemination) from this study will be a welcome relief for these patients who are starting treatment with the hope of one day having healthy children.
“Health outcomes in children conceived using assisted reproductive technology are a high priority for the HFEA and we track the latest research and provide information to patients and professionals. Anyone considering fertility treatment can access this information and other high quality impartial information about fertility treatments and UK Licensed Clinics at www.hfea.gov.uk”.
Studies with larger samples at older ages are now needed. Other outcomes such as cardiometabolic risk factors after ART also require investigation. The collaborative network, developed as part of the study, will facilitate future research on health outcomes after ART.
The study, funded by the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, the Medical Research Council (MRC), the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research Bristol Biomedical Research Center (NIHR Bristol BRC), will be presented next month [27-31 August] DOHaD World Congress 2022.
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Journal reference:
Elhakeem, A., et al. (2022) Association of assisted reproductive technology with offspring growth and adiposity from infancy to early adulthood. Journal of the American Medical Association. doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.22106.