Health Issues Due to Assisted Reproductive Technology

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) allows many infertile couples to have a baby, but there are potentially serious health risks for the mothers and children.

Fertility Drugs

• Fertility drugs stimulate the ovary to release several eggs, so that more than one embryo could implant in the uterus. If your ovaries are particularly sensitive to the drugs, you might suffer from ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) which can be fatal in rare serious cases. Ectopic pregnancy is also more likely.

Pregnancy With Multiples

• A twin pregnancy carries a higher risk than a single pregnancy.

  Fertility treatments often result in twin (or more) pregnancies. Half of all twins and 90 percent of triplets are born prematurely, with significant risks for brain, lung and eye development. Mothers carrying multiples often develop high blood pressure or diabetes and are more likely to need a C-section.

Birth Defects

• Some studies report an increased incidence of birth defects in babies conceived through ART. It is not clear if the birth defects are because of the treatment itself, or if they are related to the cause of infertility in the parents. Despite the increased risk, birth defects are still very rare in ART children.

Infertility

• Infertile men can father children through ICSI--the injection of a single sperm into an egg in a laboratory dish. A man with a genetic mutation that made him infertile can pass that mutation to his son. Compared to the sons of fertile fathers, the sons of infertile fathers are more likely to be infertile themselves.

Prevention

• Preventing multiple gestation--by implanting only one embryo or through fetal reduction--eliminates most of the risk associated with ART.