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Birth defects and congenital health risks in children conceived through assisted reproduction technology (ART): a meeting report

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Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

An Erratum to this article was published on 12 August 2015

Abstract

Purpose

Assisted Reproduction Treatment (ART) is here to stay. This review addresses the parental background of birth defects, before, during and after conception and focuses both on the underlying subfertility and on the question whether ART as a treatment is an additional contributing factor.

Methods

Searches were performed in Medline and other databases. Summaries were discussed in a Delphi panel set-up by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE).

Results

Several birth defects and adult diseases arise during the earliest stages of ovarian development and oocyte differentiation: this is the case of cleft palate disorders in offspring from female rat exposed to Dioxin during fetal life or the polycystic ovary diseases in female offspring (primates) exposed to elevated androgen concentration during fetal life. Human oocytes and embryos often fail to stop the propagation of aneuploid cells but maintain their ability to repair DNA damages including those introduced by the fertilizing sperm. There is a 29 % increased risk of birth defects in the newborns spontaneously conceived by subfertile couples and the risk is further increased (34 %) when conception is achieved by treating infertlity with ART (Danish IVF Registry). Periconceptional conditions are critical for ART babies: their birth weight is in general smaller (Norvegian Registry) but a more prolonged culture time doubled the number of large babies (Finnish Registry).

Conclusion

The long-term developmental effects of ART on child and subsequent health as an adult remains a subject worthy of futher monitoring and investigation.

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Notes

  1. Anders Forsdahl, an ordinary county doctor in a remote area of Norway first noticed that the frequency of coronary heart disease in different communities correlated to the infant mortality rate and poverty level 40 years earlier [45, 46].

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Acknowledgments

The secretarial assistance of Mrs Simonetta Vassallo is gratefully acknowledged.

Funding statement

The meeting was organized by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology with an unrestricted educational grant from Institut Biochimique S.A. (Switzerland).

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    ESHRE Capri Workshop Group

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    ESHRE Capri Workshop Group

    A meeting was organized by ESHRE [September 1–2, 2013] to discuss the above subjects. The contributors included: D. F. Albertini (Department of Physiology, Kansas University Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, USA), J.L.H. Evers (Dept. Obstet. Gynaecol., Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands), J.P.M. Geraedts (Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, University Maastricht, The Netherlands), L. Gianaroli (SISMER, Reproductive Medicine Unit, Bologna, Italy), R. Sharpe (MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, The Queen’s Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, UK), K. D. Sinclair (School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Leicestershire, UK), A. Sunde (Dept of Ob. and Gyn. University of Trondheim, Norway), A. Van Steirteghem (Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Universitair Ziekenhuis Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium). The discussants included: D.T. Baird (Centre for Reproductive Biology, University of Edinburgh, UK), P.G. Crosignani (Scientific Direction, IRCCS Ca’ Granda Foundation, Maggiore Policlinico Hospital, Milano, Italy), P. Devroey (Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Universitair Ziekenhuis Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium), K. Diedrich (Klinik für Frauenheilkunde und Geburtshilfe, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Germany), B.C.J.M. Fauser (Department of Reproductive Medicine and Gynaecology, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands), L. Fraser (Reproduction and Rhythms Group, School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Kings College London, UK), J.S. Tapanainen (University of Helsinki, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, and University of Oulu, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu and Medical Research Center Oulu, Oulu, Finland), B. Tarlatzis (Unit for Human Reproduction, 1st Dept of OB/GYN, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece), A. Veiga (Director CMRB Barcelona Stem Cell Bank, Barcelona, Spain). The report was prepared by P.G. Crosignani and J.L.H. Evers.

    Capsule Remaining mindful of the growing body of evidence showing that during gamete production, genetic and epigenetic changes influence offspring health, serves to reinforce the need to continue to monitor ART children.

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    ESHRE Capri Workshop Group. Birth defects and congenital health risks in children conceived through assisted reproduction technology (ART): a meeting report. J Assist Reprod Genet 31, 947–958 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-014-0255-7

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