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Puberty disorders among ART-conceived singletons: a Nordic register study from the CoNARTaS group.
R Klemetti1, B Perry2, A K Aaris Henningsen3
1Department of Public Health and Welfare, Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Helsinki, Finland.
Human Reproduction (Oxford, England)
|August 27, 2022
Summary
Children conceived via assisted reproductive technology (ART) face a higher risk of puberty disorders. Both early and late puberty were more common in ART-conceived individuals, with specific patterns observed in girls and boys.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Medicine
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Public Health
Background:
- Limited knowledge exists regarding pubertal development in children conceived through assisted reproductive technology (ART).
- Previous research suggests potential physiological differences in growth and metabolism in ART-conceived children compared to naturally conceived children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether children conceived via ART have an increased risk of developing puberty disorders.
- To identify specific types of puberty disorders and their prevalence in ART-conceived children.
Main Methods:
- A large-scale, register-based cohort study was conducted using data from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden between 1985 and 2015.
- Included over 122,000 ART-conceived singletons and 6.5 million non-ART singletons.
- Puberty disorders were identified using ICD-9/ICD-10 codes and analyzed using Cox regression, adjusting for various maternal and birth factors.
Main Results:
- ART-conceived children demonstrated significantly higher risks for both early puberty (aHR 1.45) and late puberty (aHR 1.47).
- Early puberty diagnoses were more frequent in girls (aHR 1.46), while late puberty diagnoses were more common in boys (aHR 1.55).
- A total of 37,869 children had puberty disorder diagnoses, with 603 born after ART.
Conclusions:
- This study suggests a heightened risk of puberty disorders in children conceived through ART.
- The findings highlight gender-specific patterns in early and late puberty among ART-conceived individuals.
- Further research is needed to understand the complex mechanisms underlying pubertal development in ART-conceived offspring.
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