TY - JOUR
T1 - Cerebral Palsy, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Developmental Delay in Children Born After Assisted Conception
T2 - A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
AU - Hvidtjørn, Dorte
AU - Schieve, Laura
AU - Schendel, Diana
AU - Jacobsson, Bo
AU - Sværke, Claus
AU - Thorsen, Poul
PY - 2009
Y1 - 2009
N2 - OBJECTIVE: To assess the existing evidence of associations between assisted conception and cerebral palsy (CP), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and developmental delay. DATA SOURCES: Forty-one studies identified in a systematical PubMed and Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE) search for articles published from January 1, 1996, to April 1, 2008. STUDY SELECTION: Studies written in English comparing children born after assisted conception with children born after natural conception assessing CP, ASD, and developmental delay, based on original data with a follow-up of 1 year or more. Main Exposures In vitro fertilization (IVF) with or without intracytoplasmic sperm injection or ovulation induction with or without subsequent intrauterine insemination. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cerebral palsy, ASD, and developmental delay. RESULTS: Nine CP studies showed that children born after IVF had an increased risk of CP associated with preterm delivery. In our meta-analysis including 19 462 children exposed to IVF, we estimated a crude odds ratio of 2.18 (95% confidence interval, 1.71-2.77). Eight ASD studies and 30 studies on developmental delay showed inconsistent results. No studies assessed the risk of CP, ASD, or developmental delay in children born after ovulation induction exclusively. CONCLUSIONS: Methodological problems were revealed in the identified studies, and the gaps in our knowledge about the long-term outcomes of children born after assisted conception are considerable, including a lack of information on the long-term consequences of ovulation induction. Possible associations with ASD and developmental delay need assessment in larger studies. Studies on assisted conception and CP from countries outside of Scandinavia are needed, including detailed information on time to pregnancy, underlying cause of infertility, and type of IVF treatment.
AB - OBJECTIVE: To assess the existing evidence of associations between assisted conception and cerebral palsy (CP), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and developmental delay. DATA SOURCES: Forty-one studies identified in a systematical PubMed and Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE) search for articles published from January 1, 1996, to April 1, 2008. STUDY SELECTION: Studies written in English comparing children born after assisted conception with children born after natural conception assessing CP, ASD, and developmental delay, based on original data with a follow-up of 1 year or more. Main Exposures In vitro fertilization (IVF) with or without intracytoplasmic sperm injection or ovulation induction with or without subsequent intrauterine insemination. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cerebral palsy, ASD, and developmental delay. RESULTS: Nine CP studies showed that children born after IVF had an increased risk of CP associated with preterm delivery. In our meta-analysis including 19 462 children exposed to IVF, we estimated a crude odds ratio of 2.18 (95% confidence interval, 1.71-2.77). Eight ASD studies and 30 studies on developmental delay showed inconsistent results. No studies assessed the risk of CP, ASD, or developmental delay in children born after ovulation induction exclusively. CONCLUSIONS: Methodological problems were revealed in the identified studies, and the gaps in our knowledge about the long-term outcomes of children born after assisted conception are considerable, including a lack of information on the long-term consequences of ovulation induction. Possible associations with ASD and developmental delay need assessment in larger studies. Studies on assisted conception and CP from countries outside of Scandinavia are needed, including detailed information on time to pregnancy, underlying cause of infertility, and type of IVF treatment.
U2 - 10.1001/archpediatrics.2008.507
DO - 10.1001/archpediatrics.2008.507
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 19124707
SN - 1072-4710
VL - 163
SP - 72
EP - 83
JO - Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
JF - Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine
IS - 1
ER -