Infertility treatments 'not linked' to developmental delays

ConclusionThis prospective cohort study aimed to assess whether use of and type of infertility treatment was associated with a child's development up to the age of 36 months. The study found no convincing evidence that infertility treatment had any impact on a child's development, which will come as a relief to parents who have undertaken treatment. However, while this type of observational study is good for looking at links between an exposure and an outcome over a period of time, it is not able to prove direct cause and effect and say for certain whether there is any link between two factors. For example, various socioeconomic, health and lifestyle factors may be associated both with the chance of a couple experiencing fertility problems, and with the chance of their child experiencing developmental problems. Also, unlike in the UK, infertility treatment is rarely free in the US, which accentuates potential socioeconomic factors – it is less likely that poorer couples could afford treatment. The researchers have attempted to adjust their analyses for various factors that could be confounding the relationship, but it is not known whether these will have been able to account for the influence of all of them.Other limitations of the study include potential inaccuracies in completing the questionnaires, and missing data – though the researchers have used statistical modelling to account for gaps in the questionnaires.The study has many strengths, including that it used a we...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medical practice Pregnancy/child Source Type: news