The simple answer is yes. Millions of babies have been born using In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and they are perfectly healthy. The procedure does not pose any short term or long term risk to the health of the child. The primary difference between IVF babies and normal babies is the way in which they are conceived.
In a natural pregnancy, the embryo is formed inside the fallopian tubes. In each month of a woman’s menstrual cycle, one egg is released from the any of the ovaries. During intercourse, the sperm enters the fallopian tubes through the vagin* and fertilization occurs. After about 6 days of fertilization, the embryo is transferred to the uterine cavity.
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‘In Vitro’ literally means outside the body and in case of IVF, the egg and the sperm are fertilized outside the uterine cavity. For the procedure, eggs are collected from the ovaries of the female partner using Ovarian Pick Up (OPV) and one egg is combined with about 75,000 sperms in a petri dish and left in an incubator for about 24 hours. The best sperm fertilizes the eggs.
The embryo is checked for growth and can either be transferred into the woman’s uterus on day 3 or day 5, or frozen in a nitrogen chamber for a transfer at a later date. The baby thus growing in the uterus takes the normal course of a nine month pregnancy.
It is unreal to say that IVF babies are at a higher risk of developing congenital anomalies. The changes are about 2-3 per cent, which is the same as normally conceived babies. There may be a change of these if there is a family history of a certain problem which could be the cause for infertility in either parent. But it has nothing to do with the IVF process.
The risk of congenital defects also increases with multiple pregnancies. Some IVF centres transfer more than embryo at a time to increase the chances of success of the IVF cycle. But this should not be done and the trend of single embryo transfer in IVF should be encouraged.
Earlier, there were reports that IVF babies may suffer from neurological or cognitive defects. But, these were found to be false. They were even linked to higher chances of downs syndrome or Trisomy 21. But later reports found that this is caused by increased maternal age and has an equal chance in the normal process too. Some studies reported a connection between IVF and cancer, but no link could be established.
IVF babies can suffer from macrosomia, which is higher than normal birth weight of the child that can cause hypertension or cardiological problems later in life. After the process of IVF,( After the process of Ovum pick up), if a fresh embryo transfer is done, or a frozen embryo transfer is done in a natural cycle, there is no risk of the baby being overweight.
But, in case of frozen embryo transfer where the endometrium is artificially prepared for embryo implantation to mimic a natural pregnancy, there are chances of macrosomia.
The other misconception is that IVF babies are born through C-sections and not normal deliveries, but that is not true. In cases where the weight of the baby is high, however, we have to go for a C-section. In cases of fresh embryo transfer IVF, the chances of a normal delivery are the same as that for a natural conception.
The bottom line is that babies conceived through IVF are healthy. This process of conception does not pose any risks to the wellbeing of the parents or child, even in the future. The chances of developing a congenital anomaly or cancer is equal to those for babies conceived naturally.
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Dr Saurav Prakash Maity is IVF Specialist at Rashmika Fertility, Kolkata.
FAQs
The risk of birth defects is slightly higher in IVF babies compared to naturally conceived babies, with a small increase of approximately 1% over the general population. However, this is often related to factors such as parental age and underlying fertility issues rather than the IVF procedure itself.
What are the dark side of IVF? ›
Conceiving with IVF does carry an increased risk of pregnancy complications. In particular, there is an increased risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, hypertension, maternal gestational diabetes, and placental complications⁷.
What is the life expectancy of an IVF baby? ›
After adjusting for confounding factors such as the mother's age and earlier infertility, the researchers found that the children conceived through IVF had a 45 percent higher risk of death before 1 year of age than children conceived naturally.
Do IVF babies go full term? ›
Because the rapid development of the brain and lungs occurs toward the end of the 40 weeks the longer the baby stays in-utero (up to 40 weeks) the better. That being stated, those who conceive via IVF do tend to deliver earlier.
Does quality of embryos become healthy babies? ›
Whereas an AA quality embryo is the very best an embryo can be graded, healthy babies are born from embryos grade all the way through to a CC quality embryo . So, it's important to remember embryo grades are only indicative of the potential to implant and not the final outcome of a pregnancy.
Are test tube babies healthy or not? ›
Yes, test tube babies are generally as healthy as babies conceived naturally. However, like any medical procedure, IVF has potential risks and side effects.
Is IVF hard on a woman's body? ›
IVF can be difficult — both physically and emotionally. Many people doing IVF treatment struggle with depression and anxiety. Infertility struggles and IVF can leave people feeling disappointed or overwhelmed. Talk with your healthcare provider about how you're feeling so they can offer support through the process.
What are the long term side effects of IVF? ›
Among these, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and multiple pregnancies are the most serious. Other potential risks include increased levels of anxiety and depression, ovarian torsion, ectopic pregnancy, pre-eclampsia, placenta praevia, placental separation and increased risk of cesarean section.
What is IVF syndrome? ›
Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) causes the ovaries to swell and become painful. ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) may occur in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) or ovulation induction with injectable medications.
Do IVF babies have mental health issues? ›
Conclusions There was a small increase in the incidence of mental disorders in children born after ovulation induction/intrauterine insemination. Children born after in vitro fertilisation/intracytoplasmic sperm injection were found to have overall risk comparable with children conceived spontaneously.
Often, the error resulted in an extra copy of chromosome 21, which causes Down's syndrome. But unlike "classic" Down's syndrome which is often seen in the babies of older women who conceive naturally, the pattern of genetic errors leading to Down's in the IVF eggs was different and more complex.
What age should you stop IVF? ›
Although rare, women over 50 have had successful pregnancies with IVF. However, it is more common practice to limit the upper age for IVF patients to around the mid-40s. Although women older than 45 have had successful IVF pregnancies, that doesn't mean it's recommended for all older women wishing to become pregnant.
Do IVF babies have more health issues? ›
Most of the children born from IVF appear healthy. We have noticed a small increase in health problems, such as low birth weight, premature birth and congenital birth defects. Some of these long-term health effects may be encoded by epigenetics.
Will my IVF baby be healthy? ›
Yes, IVF babies are just as healthy as those that are conceived in the normal way. This means they do not have any short or long-term risks to their health.
Does poor egg quality cause birth defects? ›
Trouble conceiving- An egg of poor quality could lead to issues with fertilization, form an abnormal embryo, have trouble getting implanted in the uterus or cause miscarriages. If the pregnancy does go to term with an abnormal egg, it could lead to congenital defects like Down's syndrome.
Are IVF babies as normal as others? ›
IVF children are as normal as other children as far as their physical attributes and mental capacity are concerned. And also they are as naturally born as other children. Since IVF is a rarefied subject, many people are still skeptical about it and harbor a lot of preconceived notions.
Are IVF children more likely to have autism? ›
Initial studies have reported little to no risk of ASD in children born after OI, IUI, IVF, or ICSI. In addition, there may be a higher risk of ASD in children born to parents with infertility, but who otherwise did not receive fertility treatment, known as subfertility.
Why do IVF babies look different? ›
It's possible that conception by assisted reproductive technology disrupts the epigenetic process, resulting in a greater liklihood of congenital abnormalities caused by epigenetic changes.
