IVF babies are smaller and lighter but the difference is gone by the teenage years

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-07-27 01:00

Australia; New Zealand; International

Babies born using assisted reproductive technologies (ART) such as IVF, were shorter, lighter, and thinner, and they stayed smaller than their peers right up to the early teen years, according to Australian and international research. However, the study found that the differences were small and got smaller as the kids aged, and that by the later teen years (age 14 to 17) there was no real difference in the size of kids born using ART and those who were naturally conceived. The authors say that parents should be reassured that differences in early life growth and fat levels are minor and no longer apparent by late adolescence.

Media release

From:

Attachments

Note: Not all attachments are visible to the general public. Research URLs will go live after the embargo ends.

Research JAMA, Web page Please link to the article in online versions of your report (the URL will go live after the embargo ends).

Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI), The University of Melbourne, Monash University, La Trobe University, University of Bristol, UK

Funder: This work was funded by the European Research Council under the European Union (EU) Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (agreements No. 101021566 [ART-HEALTH] and 733206 [LifeCycle]), the Medical Research Council (grant No. MC_UU_00011/6), British Heart Foundation (grants No. CH/F/ 20/90003 and AA/18/7/34219), and Bristol National Institute of Health Research Biomedical Research Centre (grant No. NF-0616-10102).Dr Lewis reported receiving grants from Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) during the conduct of the study.

Media Contact/s

Contact details are only visible to registered journalists.