Neonatal outcomes in very preterm singleton infants conceived using assisted reproductive technologies

Area of Science:

• Neonatalogy
• Reproductive Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) are increasingly used for conception.
• The impact of ART on very preterm infants' outcomes requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare neonatal mortality, severe morbidities, and hospital length of stay in very preterm singleton infants conceived via ART versus spontaneous conception (SP).

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of singleton infants born between 23-32 weeks gestation (2010-2012) from the Canadian Neonatal Network database.
• Comparison of a composite outcome (mortality or severe morbidity) and length of stay between ART and SP groups using multivariable regression analyses.
• Adjustment for potential confounders and risk factors.

Main Results:

• The study included 346 ART infants and 7,578 SP infants.
• ART mothers had distinct demographic and clinical characteristics compared to SP mothers.
• No significant differences were found in the composite outcome (mortality/severe morbidity) or hospital length of stay between ART and SP infants after adjustment.

Conclusions:

• Mode of conception (ART vs. SP) is not associated with overall mortality or severe morbidity in very preterm singleton infants.
• Hospital length of stay for very preterm infants is not influenced by the mode of conception.