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Parents' concerns regarding their ART children.
L J Fisher-Jeffes1, I Banerjee, A G Sutcliffe
1Royal Free and University College Medical School, University College London, Department of Community Child Health, Royal Free Campus, Rowland Hill Street, London NW3 2PF.
Reproduction (Cambridge, England)
|February 3, 2006
Summary
Parents of children conceived via assisted reproductive therapy (ART) expressed concerns, primarily regarding their child's future fertility. Intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) parents raised these questions more often than in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) parents.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Medicine
- Pediatric Development
- Genetics
Background:
- Assisted reproductive therapy (ART) encompasses in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
- Long-term follow-up studies are crucial for understanding the developmental and health outcomes of ART-conceived children.
- Parental concerns can provide valuable insights into the psychosocial aspects of ART conception.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate parental concerns regarding children conceived through ART.
- To identify specific themes of parental questioning related to ART conception.
- To compare concerns between IVF and ICSI conceived children.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of ART-conceived children from a National Child Development Study was assessed.
- Parents were surveyed to identify concerns about their ART-conceived child.
- Response rate was 90% (329 replies), with 86 families posing additional questions.
Main Results:
- 26% of responding parents raised concerns about their ART-conceived child.
- The most frequent concern (8% of all respondents) related to the child's future fertility.
- Parents of ICSI-conceived children were more likely to ask about future fertility than IVF parents.
Conclusions:
- While most parents had no specific concerns, a notable minority did.
- Future fertility is a significant parental concern for ART-conceived children, particularly those conceived via ICSI.
- Further research is warranted to address parental anxieties surrounding ART and long-term child outcomes.