Categories: Mens fertility Research

IVF May Boost Birth Defects Risk

The CDC reports that certain birth defects — including heart wall problems and cleft lip/palate — may be two to four times more common among babies conceived with assisted reproductive technology (ART) than babies conceived naturally.

Those findings — published in the advance online edition of Human Reproduction — focus on in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

ART is becoming more common, but the CDC isn’t making any recommendations about its use.

“Today, more than 1% of infants are conceived through ART and this number may continue to increase,” CDC epidemiologist Jennita Reefhuis, PhD, says in a news release.

The chances of birth defects in a baby conceived through ART are “low,” notes Reefhuis.
But she says “it is still important for parents who are considering using ART to think about all of the potential risks and benefits of this technology.”

ART and Birth Defects Study

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Reefhuis and colleagues reviewed data from mothers of about 13,500 babies born with birth defects and mothers of more than 5,000 babies without birth defects.

Those babies were born from October 1997-December 2003 in 10 states (Arkansas, California, Georgia, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Utah, and Texas).

About 1% of the babies without birth defects were conceived through ART, compared to 2.4% of the babies with birth defects, according to interviews with the mothers.

The following types of birth defects were more common among babies conceived through ART:

Septal heart defects: Twice as common among babies conceived by ART
Cleft lip and/or cleft palate: 2.4 times as common among babies conceived by ART
Esophageal atresia (birth defect of the esophagus): 4.5 times more common among babies conceived by ART
Anorectal atresia (birth defect in the anal/rectal area): 3.7 times more common among babies conceived by ART

Those findings, which take into account other risk factors, only applied to single births, not to twins, triplets, or other multiple births.
But the CDC points out that multiple births are associated with ART and with birth defects.

“Thus, ART might contribute to the risk of major birth defects both directly by increasing the risk of defects among singletons, and indirectly by increasing the occurrence of twinning which is a strong risk factor for many types of major birth defects,” the study states.

The study doesn’t prove that ART was to blame for the birth defects.

“Subfertile women might have a higher risk of having a child with a birth defect regardless of whether infertility treatments are used,” write Reefhuis and colleagues.

The CDC also notes that birth defects are rare and that the findings in the new study need to be checked.
Second Opinion

WebMD asked Elizabeth Ginsburg, MD, president of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology and medical director of assisted reproductive technologies at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, about the new CDC report.

Ginsburg points out that the study included a small number of babies conceived through ART and that the study doesn’t settle key questions about ART and birth defects.

“We’ve been counseling patients with infertility for a very long time that we don’t know whether there’s an increased risk of adverse outcomes for their baby,” Ginsburg tells WebMD.

Ginsburg notes that some studies — but not all — link ART to poor outcomes for babies, but it’s still not clear whether ART or infertility are to blame. “I think there are enough [studies] to say there may be something to it,” but It’s “unsettling” to have those issues unresolved.

Dr Spence Pentland

Dr. Pentland is founder of The IVF Acupuncture Group of Greater Vancouver, available 7 days a week for on site embryo transfer and acupuncture treatments at the Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine (PCRM) and Genesis Fertility Centre. “The integrated relationship I have established with these clinics is something that I value very much as it expands my knowledge, gives me the opportunity to reach more people, and helps me better understand how to support women on their journey toward family.” says Dr. Pentland. Dr. Pentland, along with Dr. Jeffrey Roberts of The Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine (PCRM), and Dr. Christine Sutton of the University of British Columbia, authored research published in Fertility & Sterility on the stress reducing effects of acupuncture when administered in the weeks leading up to an IVF embryo transfer. In 2015 Spence published BEING FERTILE - 10 Steps to Help You Overcome the Struggles of Infertility, Get Pregnant, and Create a Happy, Healthy Family. A book written to provide hope, tools and resources for women and couples experiencing difficulty starting or expanding their families. Dr. Pentland is founder of The IVF Acupuncture Group of Greater Vancouver, available 7 days a week for on site embryo transfer and acupuncture treatments at the Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine (PCRM) and Genesis Fertility Centre. “The integrated relationship I have established with these clinics is something that I value very much as it expands my knowledge, gives me the opportunity to reach more people, and helps me better understand how to support women on their journey toward family.” says Dr. Pentland. Dr. Pentland, along with Dr. Jeffrey Roberts of The Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine (PCRM), and Dr. Christine Sutton of the University of British Columbia, authored research published in Fertility & Sterility on the stress reducing effects of acupuncture when administered in the weeks leading up to an IVF embryo transfer. In 2015 Spence published BEING FERTILE - 10 Steps to Help You Overcome the Struggles of Infertility, Get Pregnant, and Create a Happy, Healthy Family. A book written to provide hope, tools and resources for women and couples experiencing difficulty starting or expanding their families. Further demonstrating his commitment to reproductive health, he is a devoted member of IAAC (Infertility Awareness Association), CFAS (Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society), and ASRM (American Society for Reproductive Medicine). As the former president of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Association of British Columbia and the provincial BC TCM quality assurance committee, Dr. Pentland is well respected by peers and patients alike. He remains actively involved in educating healthcare colleagues and the public on the powerful benefits of Chinese medicine & acupuncture, working steadily on the integration of ancient Daoist wisdom into modern western life as a way to build awareness about reproductive health. This compassionate expertise is reflected in patient testimonials. When not helping others start their families, Spence can be found spending time with his own--his adoring wife Chantal and their two beautiful sons. “I am very proud to be part of the team of professionals at Yinstill. We are all dedicated to raising the bar in the field of complimentary and alternative reproductive medicine. Nothing is more important than family,” he says. 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