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Psychological follow-up of children born after in-vitro fertilization
A Raoul-Duval1, M Bertrand-Servais, H Letur-Könirsch
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hôpital Antoine-Béclère, Clamart, France.
Insights
Assisted reproductive technology, including in-vitro fertilization (IVF), shows no adverse effects on children's psychological development. Early infant feeding and sleep issues in IVF infants resolved, with excellent mother-child relationships observed.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Medicine
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) are increasingly common.
- Concerns exist regarding the long-term psychological impact on children conceived via ART.
- Previous research has yielded mixed results on ART's developmental effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the psychological development of children conceived via in-vitro fertilization (IVF).
- To compare IVF children with those conceived through ovarian stimulation and natural conception.
- To evaluate the influence of ART on mother-infant relationships.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study from birth to 3 years.
- Comparative analysis of three groups: IVF (n=33), ovarian stimulation (n=33), and natural conception (n=33).
- Inclusion of 14 children born via oocyte donation, assessed using the same methodology.
Main Results:
- Infants in the IVF group exhibited transient feeding difficulties and sleep disturbances at 9 months.
- Mothers in the IVF group showed temporary signs of depression.
- All observed symptoms resolved, and all children demonstrated satisfactory psychomotor development.
- Excellent mother-child relationships were noted across all groups.
Conclusions:
- The study suggests that in-vitro fertilization (IVF) does not negatively impact psychomotor development.
- Early-life challenges in IVF infants are temporary and do not predict long-term developmental outcomes.
- ART methods appear to have no detrimental influence on the psychological well-being and development of children.
Abstract:
We have studied from birth up to the 3rd year the psychological attitude of 33 in-vitro fertilization (IVF) children compared to two other groups: children born after ovarian stimulation without IVF (n = 33) and children conceived naturally (n = 33) during the same period. Fourteen children, born by oocyte donation, were also studied by the same methodology. In the IVF group, we found some feeding difficulties and sleep disorders in the infants at 9 months and some signs of depression in mothers. All these symptoms disappeared afterwards. The development of all the children is satisfactory and the relationship with their mother is excellent. In this preliminary study, we conclude that the method of assisted reproduction has no bad influence on the psychomotor development of these children.