| Test-tube babies risk getting Cancer | Send to a friend |
| Saturday, 24 July 2010 15:52 |
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By Sunday Citizen reporter The first question many infertile couples ask when considering in vitro fertilization (IVF) is whether children born using the reproductive technology will be as healthy as those conceived naturally. To date, the answer is an elusive one because little definitive research has been carried out on the potential long-term health risks of IVF. With growing population, researchers have begun pursuing larger studies on various aspects of development in IVF children — including the risks of conditions like autism, diabetes and cancer — and the results have hinted at some possible long-term health problems. Roughly 3.5 million children worldwide have been conceived by IVF over the past three decades, and many of them are now entering adulthood. The latest of these studies, published in the July issue of the medical journal Pediatrics, sought to evaluate the risk of cancer in childhood and early adulthood in IVF children. The study found a statistically significant increase in cancer risk in children conceived via IVF, compared with those who were traditionally conceived. The absolute risk of cancer in these children was fortunately ruled out as still very low, and the authors think it may be due to other factors related to the parents' infertility, rather than the process of IVF itself. The study of 2.4 million births, including 26,692 children born via IVF, between 1982 and 2005 found 56 cases of childhood and early adulthood cancers in IVF children, versus 38 cases that would be expected in other children of the same age-group. This is an increase in risk of 42% but translates to just one extra case of cancer per every 1,000 babies conceived by IVF. Lead author Dr. Bengt Kallen notes that why IVF babies may be at greater risk for cancer is not clear, but that these children are more likely than other babies to be born pre-term and to suffer breathing problems that require oxygen therapy — factors that have been previously associated with an increased risk of cancer. They also tend to weigh less at birth than traditionally conceived babies, a factor that has been associated with later health problems such as diabetes and obesity. Even if the study had confirmed IVF as a risk factor, experts say the level of increased risk is not enough to deter parents from undergoing the treatment. Without it, many infertile couples may not have a baby at all. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
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