NPR

Do IVF And Other Infertility Tech Lead To Health Risks For The Baby? Maybe

A small study of teens who were conceived via assisted reproductive technology finds a significant number already have hypertension and premature "age-related changes" in their blood vessels.
A Swiss study tracking the health of a group of children conceived via assisted reproductive technology found that a surprising number developed premature aging of their blood vessels. Now in their teens, 15 percent have hypertension.

When patients come to Dr. Molly Quinn for infertility treatments, they usually aren't too interested in hearing about the possible downsides, she says. They just want to get pregnant.

Still, she always discusses the risks. For example, there's an increased likelihood of twins or triplets — which increases the chances of medical complications for both moms and babies. And stimulating the ovaries to ripen extra eggs can, in a small number of cases, cause the ovaries to rupture.

, an published this month in the , children conceived through certain infertility treatments may be at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease.

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