Babies born through IVF are at risk of having a heart defect

Babies conceived through assisted reproductive technology, such as in vitro fertilization, have a 36 percent higher risk of developing a major heart defect than naturally conceived babies, a new study shows.

However, heart defects are relatively rare. The study authors found them in 1.15% of naturally conceived babies and 1.84% of babies born after assisted reproduction. The risk increased to 2.47% for IVF children born multiples.

Babies born through IVF are more likely to have a heart defect

The research, published in European Heart Journalis based on an analysis of more than 7.7 million births in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

“Previous research shows that there are increased risks for babies conceived using assisted reproductive technology. These include preterm birth and low birth weight.

We wanted to investigate whether the risk of heart defects was higher for children born after assisted reproduction,” said the study’s lead author, Ulla-Britt Wennerholm, from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

Wennerholm’s team compared data on babies conceived naturally versus through IVF; intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), when a single sperm is injected directly into an egg during IVF; and a frozen embryo.

The researchers then looked at how many babies in each group were diagnosed with a serious heart defect in the womb or during the first year of life.

The study authors took into account factors such as the mother’s age at birth and whether she smoked during pregnancy or had a history of diabetes or heart defects.

More and more people are conceiving with the help of assisted reproductive technology

The researchers hope that their findings will lead to timely diagnosis of heart defects and life-saving interventions.

“Congenital heart defects can be extremely serious, requiring specialist surgery when babies are very young, so knowing which babies are most at risk can help us diagnose heart defects as early as possible and ensure they give the right care and treatment,” said Wennerholm.

According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, 2.5% of all births in the US are the result of successful IVF treatments. In Denmark, IVF accounts for approximately 9% of live births, the highest proportion of any country.

“More and more people are conceiving with the help of assisted reproductive technology, so we could expect to see increases in cases of congenital heart defects worldwide,” Wennerholm pointed out.

Wennerholm and her team believe there may be a link between infertile parents and babies born with heart defects.

“The fact that the risk of heart defects is similar regardless of the type of assisted reproduction used may indicate that there is a common factor underlying infertility. in parents and congenital heart disease in their babies,” she said.