A population-based study of the effect of infertility and its treatment on child health and development
- Principal investigator
- Maria Quigley (NPEU)
- Collaborators
- Amanda Sacker (University College London), Yvonne Kelly (University College London), Jenny Kurinczuk (NPEU), Maggie Redshaw (NPEU (Former member))
- Topics
- Child health and development, Infertility
- Funder
- Medical Research Council
- Start year
- 2008
- End year
- 2011
- NPEU Contact
- Maria Quigley
Summary
The aim of this study was to elucidate the separate effects of infertility and its treatment on a range of child health and development outcomes measured at age 3 and 5 years in a national cohort study (the Millennium Cohort Study which recruited over 18,000 children). The population was divided into several groups of children: those who resulted from an unplanned pregnancy; those who resulted from a mistimed pregnancy; those who resulted from a 'planned pregnancy with a usual time to conception', those who resulted from a 'prolonged time to conception' and those who were conceived following infertility treatment.
Key findings:
- Children who were conceived following infertility treatment tended to come from socially advantaged backgrounds whereas children conceived following an unplanned pregnancy were more likely to come from disadvantaged backgrounds.
- For most of the outcomes we examined, there were no excess risks among children conceived following infertility treatment, except a slightly higher increase in behavioural problems and some suggestion of an increased risk of asthma.
- Children conceived following an unplanned pregnancy tended to have poorer health and developmental outcomes although most of these effects tended to disappear after adjustment for other factors.
Publications
Journal Articles
- Carson C, Kurinczuk JJ, Sacker A, Kelly Y, Klemetti R, Redshaw M, Quigley MA. Cognitive development following ART: effect of choice of comparison group, confounding and mediating factors. Hum Reprod. 2010;25(1):244?52.
- Carson C, Kelly Y, Kurinczuk JJ, Sacker A, Redshaw M, Quigley MA. Effect of pregnancy planning and fertility treatment on cognitive outcomes in children at ages 3 and 5: longitudinal cohort study. Br Med J. 2011;343.
- Carson C, Sacker A, Kelly Y, Redshaw M, Kurinczuk JJ, Quigley MA. Asthma in children born after infertility treatment: findings from the UK Millennium Cohort Study. Hum Reprod. 2013;28(2):471-9.
- Carson C, Redshaw M, Sacker A, Kelly Y, Kurinczuk JJ, Quigley MA. Effects of pregnancy planning, fertility, and assisted reproductive treatment on child behavioural problems at 5 and 7 years: evidence from the Millennium Cohort Study. Fertil Steril. 2013;99(2):456-63.