April 2020 – Article 2:
If used ethically, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and other assisted reproductive techniques (ARTs) can be an answer to prayer, but the procedures are not without risks.
Premature delivery, low birth weight, and birth defects are not uncommon. Birth mothers can also face dangers, such as ovarian cancer and complications from egg-retrieval.
Study Says Higher Death Rate in First Year
But now, a new study of births in Sweden shows that babies conceived through IVF, followed by freezing of the embryo, have a much higher risk of death before they reach one year than children conceived naturally.
The results were based on analysis of 2.8 million singleton children born in the country over a 30-year period. The total included 43,500 conceived through different types of ART, including IVF.
According to the report, 7,236 children died before one year of age, including 114 conceived by ARTs. After adjusting for the mother’s age and other factors, researchers found that children conceived through IVF had a 45 percent higher risk of death before one year of age than children conceived naturally.
The level of risk varied depending on what type of ARTs was used and how many days had passed since birth. In addition, the risk gradually declined after the first weeks of life.
Major causes for the increased mortality rate included respiratory distress, pulmonary immaturity, infections, and neonatal bleeds.
Frozen Embryo Risk of Death Twice Normal Rate
Shockingly, when the pregnancy began with the transfer of a frozen embryo, the risk of the baby dying within a week of birth was twice that of children conceived naturally. Even though these results were based on a relatively small sample, it’s another reason not to freeze an embryonic child.
When a fresh embryo was used, the death rate was no higher than for children conceived naturally.
Commenting on the overall findings, researcher and co-author Anastasia Nyman Iliadou said: “Our results indicate that the kind of assisted reproductive technique used may make a difference, and therefore it is important to investigate further what causes, or underlying mechanisms, are behind these risks.”
In the meantime, she says the results “show the need for extra attention and care for children conceived with IVF, especially during the first week of life.”
Georgia Right to Life (GRTL) empathizes with couples who turn to IVF and other ARTs to have children. However, any procedure that results in the death of a child at any stage of development denies their Personhood and is strongly opposed.
In addition to evaluating potential health risks to both women and children, especially these latest revelations, GRTL urges parents to limit the number of embryos created in a single cycle to the number that will be transferred in that cycle.
Equally important in protecting the sanctity of human life, parents should not choose “selective reduction” which results in the death of children at an embryonic stage in order to reduce the number of children carried to term.
Sources: eurekalert.org; upi.com; news-medical.net.
By Wayne DuBois
Georgia Right to Life
Media Relations Advisor