A study examined preschoolers who were conveived through IVF and found that there doesn't seem to be a special risk of developmental delays, which should come as a major relief for couples who are thinking of resorting to the IVF option, according to a HealthDay News report.
The findings were published this week in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, and the research was led by Edwina Yueng of the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. It addresses longstanding concerns about how children develop when they are conceived via IVF. The study took data both from animals and from studies of children.
The studies of children were actually conflicting, with some suggesting developmental problems, but others finding no link at all.
A total of 5,800 children who were born in New York state between 2008 and 2010 were followed for the study. A total of 1,830 of them were conceived via either fertility drugs of IVF. Those who were conceived from fertility drugs showed no increase in developmental delays at the age of 3 versus those that were birthed naturally. There were signs of slower development for those birthed via IVF and other fertility treatments, but Yeung believes this is explained away because such treatments result in a higher rate of twinning compared to those that are conceived naturally.
"When we began our study, there was little research on the potential effects of conception via fertility treatments on U.S. children," Yeung said in a statement. "Our results provide reassurance to the thousands of couples who have relied on these treatments to establish their families."
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