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Long-term follow-up of children conceived through assisted reproductive technology
Yue-hong Lu1, Ning Wang, Fan Jin
1Key Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics (Zhejiang), Ministry of Education, Women's Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310006, China.
Insights
Children born via assisted reproductive technologies (ART) are generally healthy but may face increased risks for certain health issues. Ongoing research is crucial to understand long-term outcomes for ART-conceived children.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Medicine
- Pediatrics
- Genetics
Background:
- Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) are increasingly common globally.
- Evaluating the long-term health of ART-conceived children is essential.
- Comparison with naturally conceived (NC) children is vital for risk assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current knowledge on the health of ART-conceived children.
- To identify potential health risks and developmental outcomes.
- To highlight the need for continued follow-up and research.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of existing literature.
- Analysis of studies on neonatal outcomes, birth defects, growth, development, and long-term health.
- Inclusion of data on neurological, neurodevelopmental, psychosocial, and cancer risks.
Main Results:
- Most ART-conceived children exhibit normal development.
- Evidence suggests a higher risk of poor perinatal outcomes and birth defects.
- Increased risk for epigenetic abnormalities has been observed, with underlying mechanisms unclear.
Conclusions:
- ART-conceived children are generally healthy, but specific risks warrant attention.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms behind observed health differences.
- Longitudinal follow-up into adulthood is critical, especially with evolving ART techniques.
Abstract:
Children conceived via assisted reproductive technologies (ART) are nowadays a substantial proportion of the population. It is important to follow up these children and evaluate whether they have elevated health risks compared to naturally conceived (NC) children. In recent years there has been a lot of work in this field. This review will summarize what is known about the health of ART-conceived children, encompassing neonatal outcomes, birth defects, growth and gonadal developments, physical health, neurological and neurodevelopmental outcomes, psychosocial developments, risk for cancer, and epigenetic abnormalities. Most of the children conceived after ART are normal. However, there is increasing evidence that ART-conceived children are at higher risk of poor perinatal outcome, birth defects, and epigenetic disorders, and the mechanism(s) leading to these changes have not been elucidated. Continuous follow-up of children after ART is of great importance as they progress through adolescence into adulthood, and new ART techniques are constantly being introduced.
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