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Children born via assisted reproductive technology at greater risk for autism
Children born as a result of assisted reproductive technology were twice as likely to have autism compared with those born without reproductive assistance, according to study findings in the American Journal of Public Health.
"Assisted reproductive technology (ART)-originated pregnancies share many of the correlates of autism, including parents who are older and have higher levels of education and multiple births, preterm delivery, pregnancy and labor complications, low birth weight, and other birth defects and developmental disabilities," study researcher Christine Fountain, PhD, of Fordham University, and colleagues wrote. "Further, the use of ART contributes to the pre-existing trend of older parents by pushing on the upper boundary of the fertile age range."
Christine Fountain
To investigate the relationship between ART conception and risk for autism diagnosis, the investigators reviewed data from the California Birth Master Files, the California Department of Developmental Services autism caseload and the CDC's National ART Surveillance System for live births in 1997 through 2007. The study cohort consisted of 5,926,251 live births, of which 48,865 were ART-originated infants and 32,922 were diagnosed with autism.
Children born as a result of ART were more likely to be twins or higher-order multiples, have lower weight for gestational age, have mothers who received more prenatal care or who had pregnancy or labor complications vs. children who were born without ART.
Children with autism were more likely to be boys, born in multiple births and born to older, white mothers with higher education or mothers who experienced pregnancy or labor complications compared with children without autism.
Autism diagnosis incidence among children born as a result of ART was 12.1 per 1,000 births vs. 5.5 per 1,000 births among children born without ART.
Children born as triplets and higher-order multiples had the highest autism incidence, according to researchers.
"Although the precise mechanism is unclear, these results suggest that children born as a result of ART may have an elevated incidence of autism potentially because of the link between ART and adverse pregnancy and labor outcomes, especially multiple births," Fountain and colleagues concluded. "Although more research is needed, this suggests that single-embryo transfer, when appropriate, may reduce the risk of autism among ART-originated infants." - by Amanda Oldt
Disclosure: The study was partially supported by the NIH. The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
