Exploring the Association Between Medically Assisted Reproduction and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Clinical Correlations...

Area of Science:

• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Reproductive Health
• Pediatric Health

Background:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) prevalence is rising globally.
• Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) use is increasing due to infertility.
• Understanding the relationship between ART and ASD is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• Compare ART conception frequency in ASD vs. other neurodevelopmental disorders (nASD).
• Investigate prenatal, perinatal, and medical histories in ART-conceived children with ASD.
• Examine associations between ART and risk factors within the ASD group.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 507 children with neurodevelopmental disorder diagnoses.
• Classification into ASD (n=234) and nASD (n=273) groups.
• Subgroup analysis within ASD for ART vs. non-ART conception.

Main Results:

• ART-conceived children were more frequent in the ASD group compared to nASD.
• Within ASD, ART was associated with twin pregnancy, cesarean delivery, low birth weight, and parental age.
• Logistic regression indicated ART co-occurs with perinatal and familial risk factors.

Conclusions:

• ART is not an independent causal factor for ASD.
• The association between ART and ASD is likely mediated by perinatal and parental variables.
• Emphasizes improved obstetric care and early developmental monitoring for ART-conceived children.