The prevalence of having a baby with congenital anomalies after in vitro fertilization (IVF), ICSI or cryotransfer of IVF or ICSI embryos has been analyzed in an article by Beltran Anzola et al. published in July 2017.
According to WHO, congenital anomalies are “structural or functional abnormalities, such as metabolic disorders, that occur during intrauterine life and are detected during pregnancy, at birth, or later in life.” They may also be referred to as birth defects, congenital disorders or congenital malformations.
The published study analyzed the prevalence of congenital anomalies in 2750 fetuses and children born between 2001 to 2014 in southern France. A total of 2477 pregnancies were reported, of which 2379 were included in the analysis; of these, 4.9% had a congenital anomaly. This percentage is higher than that recorded by EUROCAT in the same years in the general population of France, which was 2.7%. It is also higher than that recorded in Spain in the last report of the Spanish Fertility Society (SEF) in 2015 in the set of all assisted reproduction techniques (3.6%), and that observed in the general Spanish population, which according to the Spanish Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations, is estimated to be 3-4% at birth and increases to 7% if anomalies arising in the first years of life are added.
Most common congenital anomalies
The most prevalent congenital anomalies in the study published this month were heart defects (22.4%), chromosomal anomalies (16.4%) and urinary tract defects (11.9%). Comparison of children born after classical IVF, ICSI and cryotransfer of IVF or ICSI embryos showed no increased risk of congenital anomalies in any of them. Likewise, there are no differences between children born after cell-stage or blastocyst embryo transfers.
The analysis of obstetric and perinatal outcomes concluded that there is a higher percentage of children born with low birth weight in fresh treatments (IVF and ICSI) than in cryotransfer treatments, and children born with congenital anomalies are associated with a higher number of cesarean sections, fetal deaths and preterm deliveries than children without anomalies. A higher prevalence of congenital anomalies was also observed in twin pregnancies, although it was not statistically significant.
At URH García del Real we believe that it is necessary to monitor, collect and analyze the results of Assisted Reproduction techniques to ensure that we are making good use of them. For this reason, Isabel Pons Mallol, head of the In Vitro Fertilization and Andrology Laboratory at URH Garcia del Real, is a member of the SEF Registry Committee.
The ultimate goal of the professionals who work in Assisted Reproduction should be a healthy child at home, and at URH Garcia del Real we put all our efforts to make it happen.
By Dr. Sylvia Fernández-Shaw, specialist in Assisted Reproduction.