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Author Spotlight: Exploring the Long-Term Health Impacts of Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection on Offspring
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Possible association between in vitro fertilization technologies and offspring neoplasm
Maayan Hagbi Bal1, Avi Harlev2, Ruslan Sergienko3
1Soroka University Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Fertility and Sterility
|February 18, 2021
Summary
In vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment is linked to an increased risk of childhood neoplasm. This risk is higher with fresh embryo transfers, early developmental stages, and multiple oocyte retrievals.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Medicine
- Pediatric Oncology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a widely used fertility treatment.
- Understanding potential long-term health risks for offspring conceived via IVF is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between fertility treatments, specific protocols, and the risk of neoplasm in offspring up to 18 years of age.
Main Methods:
- A population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted.
- Offspring born after IVF (exposed group) were compared to spontaneously conceived offspring (unexposed group) from 1995-2018.
- Data included medical records, delivery details, and neoplasm diagnoses, with matching for maternal age and delivery month.
Main Results:
- The study included 1,583 IVF offspring and 5,874 spontaneously conceived offspring.
- Incidences of benign neoplasm were 0.9% (IVF) vs. 0.4% (spontaneous), and malignancies were 1.1% (IVF) vs. 0.5% (spontaneous).
- Increased neoplasm risk in IVF offspring was associated with fresh embryo transfers, cleavage-stage transfers, and retrieval of three or more oocytes, even after adjusting for confounders.
Conclusions:
- Fertility treatments, particularly IVF, are associated with an elevated risk of neoplasm in offspring.
- Specific IVF protocols, including fresh embryo transfer and early developmental stage transfer, are linked to higher neoplasm risk.
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