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Related Experiment Video

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Monitoring Blood Glucose in Mouse Offspring After Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection

Monitoring Blood Glucose in Mouse Offspring After Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection

Published on: May 17, 2024

Imprinting disorders and assisted reproductive technology.

Carter M Owen¹, James H Segars

¹Reproductive Biology and Medicine Branch, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.

Seminars in Reproductive Medicine

|August 28, 2009

Summary

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) may slightly increase the risk of imprinting disorders due to alterations in DNA methylation. Current evidence suggests the absolute risk remains small, necessitating further large-scale studies.

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Area of Science:

Reproductive Medicine
Developmental Biology
Epigenetics

Background:

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) accounts for 1-3% of global births.
Concerns exist regarding an increased risk of imprinting disorders in ART-conceived children.
Biological plausibility for ART-induced epigenetic alterations, particularly DNA methylation, is supported by animal studies.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the evidence linking assisted reproductive technology (ART) to imprinting disorders.
To assess the potential risks and biological mechanisms involved.
To determine the need for routine screening for imprinting disorders after ART.

Main Methods:

Review of existing reports and studies on ART and imprinting disorders.
Analysis of biological plausibility, including animal model findings.
Evaluation of the association between ART and specific imprinting disorders like Beckwith-Wiedemann and Angelman syndromes.

Main Results:

ART procedures may alter DNA methylation patterns, potentially leading to loss of maternal methylation or global hypomethylation.
An association between ART and imprinting disorders, particularly Beckwith-Wiedemann and Angelman syndromes, is suggested but difficult to confirm due to rarity.
Insufficient evidence links ART to Silver-Russell syndrome, maternal hypomethylation syndrome, and retinoblastoma.

Conclusions:

The absolute risk of imprinting disorders following ART is currently considered small.
Routine screening for imprinting disorders after ART is not warranted based on available evidence.
Large prospective studies are essential to clarify the risks associated with ART and imprinting defects.