Lead researcher Dr. Karin Middelburg said the study assessed spontaneous movements, known as general movements, in 125 infants conceived following IVF at three months of age and compared then with a control group of 90 babies born naturally to sub-fertile couples. Sub-fertile couples are those who were referred to the fertility clinic for fertility evaluation or treatment.
The study found quality of movement was similar between the control group and the IVF group, regardless of whether conventional therapy or a modified natural cycle was used. When the data was compared to 450 children in the general population, the researchers found both groups faired slightly worse than the general population.
Researchers conclude that babies born through IVF are not at increased risk of cerebral palsy or other neurodevelopmental disorders compared with their peers born from natural conception in sub-fertile couples.
In the past, there has been concern that babies born after IVF were at risk of such disorders because of the association with preterm birth and low birth weight. The new results were presented Tuesday at the 24th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.
