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Cerebral palsy in children born after in vitro fertilization. Is the risk decreasing?

A J Bengt Källén1, O Orvar Finnström, Anna P Lindam

  • 1Tornblad Institute, University of Lund, Biskopsgatan 7, SE-223 62 Lund, Sweden. bengt.kallen@med.lu.se

European Journal of Paediatric Neurology : EJPN : Official Journal of the European Paediatric Neurology Society
|May 11, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Children conceived via in vitro fertilization (IVF) have a slightly increased risk for cerebral palsy (CP). This risk is primarily linked to multiple births and neonatal complications, not the IVF procedure itself.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Medicine
  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Infants conceived via in vitro fertilization (IVF) present unique characteristics compared to spontaneously conceived infants.
  • These characteristics, including higher rates of multiple births, preterm delivery, and neonatal complications, may elevate the risk of cerebral palsy (CP).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the long-term risk of cerebral palsy (CP) in children conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Main Methods:

  • A cohort study identified infants born after IVF in Sweden (1982-2007) using data from IVF clinics.
  • Perinatal data were linked with the Swedish Medical Birth Register.
  • Cerebral palsy diagnoses were identified through the Patient Register, with statistical adjustments for confounding factors like birth year, maternal age, parity, and smoking.

Main Results:

  • The adjusted odds ratio for CP in IVF-conceived children was 1.81, but this risk was not statistically significant when analyzed for singletons or unlike-sexed twins.
  • Stratification by neonatal outcomes also reduced the odds ratios to non-significant levels.
  • In recent years (2004-2007) with reduced twinning rates (<10%), the odds ratio for CP approached 1 (0.97), indicating no significant increase.

Conclusions:

  • The observed moderate increase in cerebral palsy risk among IVF-conceived children is likely attributable to increased neonatal morbidity, particularly associated with multiple births.
  • The findings suggest that as IVF practices evolve to reduce multiple gestations, the associated risk of CP may diminish.
Abstract

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