IVF and Birth Defects? Ugh!

"The CDC reports that certain birth defects -- including heart wall problems and cleft lip/palate -- may be two to four times more common among babies conceived with assisted reproductive technology (ART) than babies conceived naturally. Those findings -- published in the advance online edition of Human Reproduction -- focus on in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)."

"The following types of birth defects were more common among babies conceived through ART:

*Septal heart defects: Twice as common among babies conceived by ART

*Cleft lip and/or cleft palate: 2.4 times as common among babies conceived by ART

*Esophageal atresia (birth defect of the esophagus): 4.5 times more common among babies conceived by ART

*Anorectal atresia (birth defect in the anal/rectal area): 3.7 times more common among babies conceived by ART

Those findings, which take into account other risk factors, only applied to single births, not to twins, triplets, or other multiple births.

But the CDC points out that multiple births are associated with ART and with birth defects."
Article pulled from, WebMDHealth, November 17, 2008

The researchers are unsure if assisted reproduction in itself is to blame for the increase in birth defects. In fact, new studies looking at men and women with sub-optimal fertility are being considered.

It is very important that men and women looking for fertility help really examine every angle of their health before doing IVF or ICSI. I say this not to divert you from these procedures but to make sure your egg and sperm are at their healthiest when you proceed.

Remember it takes about 3 months for an egg and 72-ish days for a sperm to fully mature. Plan about this far in advance for the healthiest chances!