A University of Adelaide study has identified the risk of majorbirth defects associated with different types of assistedreproductive technology. In the most comprehensive study of its kind in the world,researchers from the University's Robinson Institute have comparedthe risk of major birth defects for each of the reproductivetherapies commonly available internationally, such as: IVF (invitro fertilization), ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) andovulation induction. They also compared the risk of birth defectsafter fresh and frozen embryo transfer. The results were published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine , and presented in Barcelona, Spain at the World Congress onBuilding Consensus in Gynecology, Infertility and Perinatology. "While assisted reproductive technologies are associated with anincreased risk of major birth defects overall, we found significantdifferences in risk between available treatments," says the leadauthor of the study, Associate Professor Michael Davies from theUniversity of Adelaide's Robinson Institute and School ofPaediatrics and Reproductive Health. Researchers linked a census of more than 6100 assisted reproductivetechnology births in South Australia to a registry of more than300,000 births and 18,000 birth defects. They compared risks ofbirth defects across all infertility treatments to pregnancies in women with no record of infertility.They also compared successive pregnancies for women. Previous studies have identified an increased risk of birth defectsassociated with infertility treatment, but this is the first studyto compare all forms of available treatment. This is also the firststudy to compare pregnancies within women by the treatmentsreceived. "The unadjusted risk of any birth defect in pregnancies involvingassisted conception was 8.3% (513 defects), compared with 5.8% forpregnancies not involving assisted conception (17,546 defects),"Associate Professor Davies says. "The risk of birth defects for IVF was 7.2% (165 birth defects);and the rate for ICSI was higher at 9.9% (139 defects). "A history of infertility, either with or without assistedconception, was also significantly associated with birth defects.While factors associated with the causes of infertility explainedthe excess risk associated with IVF, the increased risk for anumber of other treatments could not readily be explained bypatient factors. ICSI, for instance, had a 57% increase in the oddsof major defect, although the absolute size of the risk remainedrelatively small," he says. Associate Professor Davies says cryopreservation (freezing) ofembryos was associated with a substantially reduced risk of birthdefects, particularly for ICSI. "This may be due to developmentallycompromised embryos failing to survive the freeze/thaw process," hesays. Also of concern was the tripling of risk in women using clomiphenecitrate to stimulate ovulation outside of a closely supervisedclinical setting. "While confined to a small group in our study, this is ofparticular concern as clomiphene citrate is now very widelyavailable at low cost, and may easily be used contrary tomanufacturers' very specific instructions to avoid use if pregnant,as it may cause fetal malformations. This aspect of the study willneed additional confirmation from future research," AssociateProfessor Davies says. He says the study now needs to be expanded to include more recentyears of treatment, as the reproductive technologies have undergonecontinual innovation which may influence the associated risks oftreatment. Additional References Citations. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Burberry Replica Handbags Manufacturer , Fendi Replica Handbags for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Louis Vuitton EPI Leather Handbag.
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