Assisted Reproductive Techniques, ADHD, and School Performance

Children born to subfertile couples, how are they doing? Evidence from research

More than 10 million children have been born with assisted reproductive technology (ART) as we begin to enter the third generation of individuals conceived by ART. Here we summarise key messages from an enlarging body of literature regarding their health. Earlier research had pointed towards increases in perinatal, neonatal and neurological risks, such as preterm birth, low birth weight, congenital malformations and cerebral palsy. Many of these risks have continued to persist in most recent work but have shown reduction. Newer research proposes long-term cardiometabolic and endocrine concerns. Fortunately, most reports conclude there is little or no risk of increased childhood malignancy or abnormal neurodevelopment. Moving forward, new research may benefit from changes in comparator groups and a better understanding of infertility per se in ART, and the confounding role it probably plays in many of the known risk associations, to reliably scan the horizon for health threats for individuals born after ART.

In vitro fertilization and long-term child health and development: nationwide birth cohort study in Japan

The aim of this study is to compare long-term health outcomes between IVF-conceived children and non-IVF-conceived children in Japan, in the context of strong recommendation for single embryo transfer. Using data from a nationwide birth cohort linked with perinatal database, this study analyzed 2140 children born in Japan in May 2010. It compared child health and development outcomes up to 9 years of age between IVF-conceived and non-IVF-conceived children (binary exposure). A Poisson regression with robust variance to estimate the risk ratios for the association between IVF and various long-term child health and developmental outcomes. After adjusting for confounding factors, no significant differences were observed between IVF-conceived and naturally conceived children for most outcomes, including hospitalization, obesity, and developmental milestones. IVF-conceived children showed a slightly lower risk of attention problems at 8 years (adjusted Risk Ratio [aRR]: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.53-1.00). In subgroup analyses, IVF-conceived term children and singletons demonstrated reduced risk of cognitive delays at 5.5 years (aRR: 0.31, 95% CI: 0.10-0.96 and aRR: 0.37, 95% CI: 0.14-0.98, respectively).Conclusion: In this Japanese cohort, IVF conception was not associated with adverse long-term health or developmental outcomes. These findings provide reassurance about the safety of IVF, particularly in the context of single embryo transfer policies. Further research is needed to explore specific IVF protocols and subgroups.

Neurodevelopmental or behavioral disorders in children conceived after assisted reproductive technologies: a nationwide cohort study

OBJECTIVE

To study differences in risk for drug-treated neurodevelopmental or behavioral disorders in children conceived through assisted reproductive technologies in comparison with children conceived without assisted reproductive technologies and to examine if different treatments alter these risks.

DESIGN

Nationwide registry-based cohort study.

SETTING

The Danish population.

PATIENTS

Liveborn children born in Denmark between 1994 and 2012 after assisted reproductive technologies in comparison with children conceived without assisted reproductive technologies aged 0-7.

EXPOSURE

Conception after assisted reproductive technologies treatment, including in vitro fertilization, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, intrauterine insemination, and "others" comprising frozen embryo transfer, and frozen embryo transfer in both in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection and testicular sperm aspiration.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Prescription of neurodevelopmental or behavioral disorders medication in offspring: antipsychotics, anxiolytics, antidepressants, antiepileptics, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder medication, and hypnotics/sedatives obtained from nationwide registers. Unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. The association was examined in different sensitivity analyses, including sibling and mediator analyses.

RESULTS

In total, 57,964 (4.7%) children conceived after assisted reproductive technologies and 1,183,070 (95.3%) children not conceived using assisted reproductive technologies were included. The adjusted analysis showed higher odds of prescribing neurodevelopmental or behavioral medication to assisted reproductive technology-conceived children (odds ratio: 1.15; 95% confidence interval: 1.09-1.20) compared with other children. Prescription of antipsychotics in assisted reproductive technology-conceived children was the most common association in intrauterine insemination treatments, hypnotics/sedatives with both including in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection and antiepileptics with "other" treatments. Birth weight partially mediated the association between assisted reproductive technologies and diminished the odds of neurodevelopmental or behavioral medication use in children conceived using assisted reproductive technologies. Sibling analysis showed no increased risk for the first-born child conceived without assisted reproductive technology vs. the second-born child conceived with assisted reproductive technology and vice versa.

CONCLUSION

On the basis of the minor observed effects, a potentially higher increased attentiveness of assisted reproductive technology parents, the demonstrated mediation effect of birth weight and preterm birth on the observed association, and the no effect of the within-mother analysis, we find little evidence for increased risk of neurodevelopmental or behavioral disorders in children conceived using assisted reproductive technologies.

The impact of assisted reproductive technologies on ADHD: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The escalating utilization of assisted reproductive technology (ART) in response to global infertility rates has spurred research into its complications. Short-term and long-term outcomes have been extensively studied, particularly the neurological concerns surrounding attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among ART-conceived children. This study aims investigate the association between ART and ADHD.

METHODS

Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched through April 4, 2023. Cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies were eligible for inclusion. primary summary measures included the unadjusted relative risk (RR) and adjusted hazard ratio (HR) with 95 % confidence intervals. Both fixed-effects and random-effects models were utilized for meta-analysis data pooling to determine the overall effect size. The onset of ADHD in children conceived through ART compared to those conceived naturally.

RESULTS

The systematic search yielded 8 studies with 10,176,148 individuals included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis revealed a pooled RR of 0.93 (0.68-1.26) for cohort studies and a pooled RR of 0.97 (0.41-2.29) for cross-sectional studies, along with a pooled HR of 1.08 (1.03-1.13) for ADHD in the ART group compared to the non-ART group.

CONCLUSION

While this study identifies some potential association between ART and ADHD, the limited effect size and inherent heterogeneity underscore the need for cautious interpretation.

Mental health in children conceived by Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs): Insights from a longitudinal study of Australian children

BACKGROUND

The mental health of children conceived using Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs) such as In-Vitro-Fertilization (IVF) is a subject of significant controversy. Existing studies suggest children conceived through ART meet physical and cognitive developmental milestones at similar rates to their spontaneously conceived peers, however, a significant number of studies have connected ART conception with mental health conditions, particularly depression and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adolescence. This study, therefore, aimed to determine whether maternal use of ARTs to achieve pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of mental disorders in these children, and whether these effects are sex-dependent or confounded by known covariates in the ART population.

METHODS

Secondary data analysis was performed using Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) data; a nationally representative population-based cross-sequential cohort study. Multivariate logistic regression models examined the impact of ART (including IVF and other fertility drugs, from LSAC wave-1 and wave-2 conducted in 2004 and 2006, respectively) on mental health outcomes (i.e., autism, ADHD, anxiety and/or depression, from LSAC waves 8 conducted in 2018) in Australian adolescents aged 18-19 years in 2018 (n = 1735). Known sociological and obstetric covariates including maternal age, birth weight, smoking and drinking alcohol during pregnancy, maternal gestational diabetes, postnatal depression, hypertension, and socioeconomic status were considered to generate an adjusted logistic model. Variables with a p-value of <0.05 in the regression models were considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

Of the 1735 mother-child dyads analysed, the maternal mean age was 35.6 years (Standard deviation = ±4.75), approximately 5% of mothers (n = 89) used ART to become pregnant, and 22% of adolescents (n = 384) had a mental disorder. Longitudinal analysis revealed no relationship between ART and children developing a mental disorder in the LSAC population.

CONCLUSION

These results should reassure parents considering ART that there is no increased risk of psychological or neurodevelopmental problems in their ART conceived offspring.

The Long-Term Outcome of Children Conceived Through Assisted Reproductive Technology

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) led to the birth of 60,381 infants in 2020 in Japan. This number is set to increase as the future interest in ART is anticipated to rise. Couples receiving ART are monitoring the outcomes of these treatments to see whether any differences exist between babies conceived naturally and those conceived via ART. This study investigated the relationship between the long-term outcome of children born from ART with a focus on physical and psychomotor developments. A large volume of data concerning each relationship with ART was collected from various observational studies. Several findings indicate that, over time, the physical characteristics of babies born by ART, and those born naturally are comparable. However, some reports indicate that, until they reach school age, there may be a small difference in growth. ART and naturally conceived children do not vary in academic achievement or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Taken together, it is difficult to conclude with certainty that ART is the source of these differences since they may arise from the child's genetic factors or their environment.

Long-term health risk of offspring born from assisted reproductive technologies

Since the world's first in vitro fertilization baby was born in 1978, there have been more than 8 million children conceived through assisted reproductive technologies (ART) worldwide, and a significant proportion of them have reached puberty or young adulthood. Many studies have found that ART increases the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes, including preterm birth, low birth weight, small size for gestational age, perinatal mortality, and congenital anomalies. However, data regarding the long-term outcomes of ART offspring are limited. According to the developmental origins of health and disease theory, adverse environments during early life stages may induce adaptive changes and subsequently result in an increased risk of diseases in later life. Increasing evidence also suggests that ART offspring are predisposed to an increased risk of non-communicable diseases, such as malignancies, asthma, obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. In this review, we summarize the risks for long-term health in ART offspring, discuss the underlying mechanisms, including underlying parental infertility, epigenetic alterations, non-physiological hormone levels, and placental dysfunction, and propose potential strategies to optimize the management of ART and health care of parents and children to eliminate the associated risks. Further ongoing follow-up and research are warranted to determine the effects of ART on the long-term health of ART offspring in later life.

Examining attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and related behavioral disorders by fertility treatment exposure in a prospective cohort

PURPOSE

To evaluate whether underlying infertility and mode of conception are associated with childhood behavioral disorders.

METHODS

Oversampling on fertility treatment exposure using vital records, the Upstate KIDS Study followed 2057 children (of 1754 mothers) from birth to 11 years. Type of fertility treatment and time to pregnancy (TTP) were self-reported. Mothers completed annual questionnaires reporting symptomology, diagnoses, and medications at 7-11 years of age. The information identified children with probable attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety or depression, and conduct or oppositional defiant disorders. We estimated adjusted relative risks (aRR) for disorders by underlying infertility (TTP > 12 months) or treatment exposure groups compared to children born to parents with TTP ≤ 12 months.

RESULTS

Children conceived with fertility treatment (34%) did not have an increased risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (aRR): 1.21; 95% CI: 0.88, 1.65), or conduct or oppositional defiant disorders (aRR: 1.31; 0.91, 1.86), but did have an increased risk of anxiety or depression (aRR: 1.63; 1.18, 2.24), which remained elevated even after adjusting for parental mood disorders (aRR: 1.40; 0.99, 1.96). Underlying infertility without the use of treatment was also associated with a risk of anxiety or depression (aRR: 1.82; 95% CI: 0.96, 3.43).

CONCLUSIONS

Underlying infertility or its treatment was not associated with risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Observations of increased anxiety or depression require replication.

The neurodevelopmental morbidity of children born after assisted reproductive technology: a Nordic register study from the Committee of Nordic Assisted Reproductive Technology and Safety group

OBJECTIVE

To assess the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in singletons born after the use of assisted reproductive technology (ART) compared with singletons born without the use of ART.

DESIGN

Nordic register-based study.

SETTING

Cross-linked data from Medical Birth Registers and National ART and Patient Registers; liveborn singletons in 1995-2014 in Denmark and Finland, 2005-2015 in Norway, and 1995-2015 in Sweden with follow-up to 2014 (Denmark and Finland) or 2015 (Norway and Sweden).

PATIENTS

A total of 5,076,444 singletons: 116,909 (2.3%) born with and 4,959,535 (97.7%) born without the use of ART (non-ART).

INTERVENTIONS

In vitro fertilization, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, and fresh and frozen embryo transfer.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary outcomes (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision, codes) were learning and motor functioning disorders (F80-F83), autism spectrum disorder (F84), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and conduct disorders (F90-F92), and tic disorders (F95). Crude hazard ratios (HRs) and adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated.

RESULTS

Singletons in the ART cohort had a higher adjusted risk of learning and motor functioning disorders (HR, 1.01 [0.96-1.07]; aHR, 1.17 [1.11-1.24]) and a tendency toward a higher risk of autism spectrum disorder (HR, 1.12 [1.04-1.21]; aHR, 1.07 [0.98-1.16]) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and conduct disorders (HR, 0.82 [0.77-0.86]; aHR, 1.17 [0.99-1.12]) but not of tic disorders (HR, 1.21 [1.06-1.38]; aHR, 1.17 [0.96-1.27]). No differences in risk were found between children born after in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection or after fresh and frozen embryo transfer.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings of only small differences in neurodevelopment between ART and non-ART singletons are reassuring and in line with previous studies.