"In vitro procedure baby, up to 2 times more likely to have heart disease"
Sep 27, 2024
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Studies have shown that babies who are pregnant through assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) are much more likely to develop congenital heart problems, according to British media Daily Mail. If you were born as twins, the risk was higher.
A joint research team from Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Norway observed and analyzed 171,735 people born with assisted reproductive technology (ART) out of 7,747,000 people born 20 to 31 years ago.
The researchers compared data on babies born through adjuvant reproductive techniques, including in vitro babies, intra-cytoplasmic sperm infusion (ICSI), and embryo freezing, with data on babies born naturally.
The researchers assessed how many babies in each group were diagnosed with major or severe heart defects in the uterus or within a year of age.
In addition, factors such as the child's birth year, country of birth, age of the mother at birth, and whether the mother has diabetes or heart defects were considered when the mother smoked during pregnancy.
As a result, heart defects were about 36% more common in babies born through assisted reproductive techniques compared to naturally conceived babies.
Twins or other multiple births were 2.47% and 1.15%, respectively, more than twice as likely to have major heart defects as the natural pregnancy group.
The research team explained that it can estimate that there are several common factors underlying infertility of parents and congenital heart disease of babies.
Professor Ula-Britt Bennerholm of Sweden's Gothenburg University, who participated in the study, said, `An innate heart defect can be very serious when a baby is very young, requiring specialized surgery"If you know which baby is the most dangerous, you can diagnose a heart defect as soon as possible and get proper care and treatment."
It also added that `as more and more people are becoming pregnant with the help of assisted reproductive technology, cases of congenital heart failure are expected to rise worldwide.'
The research team emphasized that it is important for couples undergoing procedures to be aware of potential risks such as other birth defects or low birth rates.
In response to the study, Dr. Natalie Auger, from the University of Montreal Hospital Research Center in Canada, said, `Most newborns born through assisted reproductive technology are healthy,' adding, `However, there is a possibility that a child's birth heart failure may occur due to a parent's underlying disease.'
The findings were recently published in the European Journal of Hearts.
bellho@sportschosun.com
