A new study suggests that in-vitro fertilization does not lead to developmental delays in children up to age of 3, UPI reports.
The National Institutes of Health conducted the study. The study was published in JAMA Pediatrics.
The researchers said that children conceived through IVF were not at higher risk for full-blown developmental disabilities such as learning disabilities, speech or language disorders, or autism.
"When we began our study, there was little research on the potential effects of conception via fertility treatments on U.S. children," Dr. Edwina Yeung, an investigator at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said in a press release.
"Our results provide reassurance to the thousands of couples who have relied on these treatments to establish their families."
For the study, the researchers studied data on 4,824 mothers of 5,841 children collected between the years 2008 and 2010 in New York state, excluding New York City. Out of the total number of children, 1,830 were conceived with IVF and 2,074 were twins.
The researchers found that 13 percent of children conceived with IVF had a developmental delay, while 18 percent of those not conceived with treatment had a delay. This suggested that there was no significant difference between IVF and non-treatment groups of children with developmental delays.
"Patients with infertility are often older, and may have medical conditions," said Dr. Norbert Gleicher, medical director of the Center for Human Reproduction, according to HealthDay.
"You have to be able to differentiate those potential effects from any effects of the fertility treatment, per se. [The results of this study] should be reassuring."
According to Dailymail, Dr Yeung said that the research team would continue to evaluate the children periodically until they reach eight years of age.
