IVF Babies at Higher Risk of Death

We have been told repeatedly over the years that IVF babies are just as healthy as those conceived naturally. Well, it looks like things are not going as well as we were led to believe. From the story:

IVF children are also at an increased risk of being born prematurely and of weighing less at birth, scientists found.Researchers looked at more than 2,500 women who had conceived both naturally and through IVF and compared the results to more than one million natural conceptions.

They found that babies who had been conceived through IVF were 31 per cent more likely to die in the period before and after their birth. IVF conceived children also tended to weigh an average of 0.9 ounces (25g) less at birth, the findings, published online in the Lancet medical journal show.

The babies also tended to be born earlier, by an average of two days, and were 26 per cent more likely to be small for their age.

Doctors think the increased risk may have to do with the health of the mother that led to infertility problems in the first place.

This may be the answer:

A maximum of two fertilised eggs are now replaced although many experts would like to see that number cut to one, to reduce the high number of IVF twin births, which are seen as more risky for mother and child

And let’s add to that enacting rules to govern IVF laid down by the Italians: only make a maximum of three embryos—and implant all that are successfully created.

Had we done that from the beginning and there wouldn’t be 400,000 embryos in cold storage today.