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Cognitive achievements in school-age children born following assisted reproductive technology treatments: A
Adel Farhi1, Lidia V Gabis2, Shay Frank3
1Women & Children's Health Research Unit, Gertner Institute for Epidemiology & Health Policy Research, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.
Insights
Children born via assisted reproductive technology (ART) show similar cognitive development and skills as spontaneously conceived children. This study offers reassurance for families undergoing ART, highlighting comparable outcomes in early school years.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Medicine
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Health
Background:
- Assisted reproductive technology (ART) use is rising globally.
- Conflicting data exists on long-term child development after ART.
- Concerns persist regarding academic success skills in ART-conceived children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare cognitive development in early school-age children conceived via ART versus spontaneous conception (SC).
- To investigate specific developmental domains including intelligence, attention, and verbal skills.
Main Methods:
- Prospective follow-up study of an Israeli cohort (2006-2008).
- Inclusion of 561 ART pregnancies and 600 SC pregnancies.
- Developmental assessments at 7-8 years old, including cognitive, visual-motor, attention, and verbal tests.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were observed between ART and SC groups across all assessed cognitive and developmental measures.
- Univariate and multivariable analyses, adjusted for maternal education and child sex, confirmed these similarities.
Conclusions:
- Children conceived through ART demonstrate comparable cognitive and developmental profiles to spontaneously conceived peers.
- Findings provide valuable information for prospective parents considering ART, alleviating concerns about developmental outcomes during formative school years.
Background:
While assisted reproductive technology is increasingly prevalent, there is concern amid conflicting findings reported regarding the long-term outcomes of children born following these treatments. The aim of this research was to investigate aspects of cognitive development in early school-age Israeli children born following assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatments, compared to those spontaneously conceived (SC).
Method:
This prospective follow-up study was based on an Israeli cohort recruited from June 2006 to December 2008, that included 561 women whose pregnancies were achieved by ART treatments and 600 women whose pregnancies were SC. When the children were 7-8 years old, 759 of their mothers were interviewed by telephone, and 294 were came for developmental assessment. The examination included: Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test; Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (arithmetic only); Test of Everyday Attention for Children; Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration and Supplemental Test for Visual Perception; Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test; Aleph-ad-Tav Hebrew reading and writing; Tavor Picture Naming Expressive Vocabulary Test. Multivariable analyses were adjusted for maternal years of education (≤12, 13+) at child's birth and child's sex.
Results:
Cognitive function, visual-motor ability, attention, and verbal skills of children born after ART treatments were similar to those of SC children, upon both univariate and multivariable analysis.
Conclusion And Implications:
No significant differences were found between the ART and SC groups on any of the measures examined. This finding offers couples seeking ART treatments improved information regarding child development during the important and formative school years.
What This Paper Adds:
Increasing rates of ART treatments arouse concern about long-term outcomes for offspring, and conflicting findings have been reported with respect to the skills necessary to their academic success. This prospective follow-up study compared school-age children born following ART with spontaneously-conceived children. Children were examined by developmental psychologists, and cognitive function, visual-motor, attention, verbal, and performance skills were similar in both groups.
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