in this issue
Sonja Kristiansen, MD
Medical Director & co-founder
of
the
Infertility Center
of Houston, Dr. Kristiansen is double board certified in
Reproductive
Endocrinology and Obstetrics & Gynecology and
specializes in surgical and IVF procedures.
She has
advanced training in hysteroscopy, laparoscopy, and
microtubal reconstruction. She also works with
female endocrine abnormalities relating to
menstrual and reproductive development.
Quick Links...
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Greetings,
Did you know that it's been over 25 years since the
first child was born as a result of in vitro fertilization? It
seems incredible now that little Louise Brown was the
hottest news item of 1978 and now thousands of
children are born every year, thanks to IVF.
Today's fertility patients have an advantage that
Louise's parents did not -- reassurance by long-term
studies that "ART kids" are just fine.
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Old Worries
When IVF itself was still in its infancy, there were
justifiable concerns about how the children who started
out in petri dishes would do after birth. Even with all of
the testing done to assure that IVF was safe for the
mother, there was no sure way to know about the kids
until scientists had a chance to observe them over
time. As new technologies like intracytoplasmic sperm
injection (ICSI) and preimplantation genetic diagnosis
(PGD) have evolved over time to increase couples'
ability to conceive and have a baby, the same
concerns that worried the first IVF parents are raised
again.
It's up to caring researchers and practitioners to make
sure that the children of new ART continue to be just
fine.
The primary concerns regarding offspring of assisted
reproductive technologies have been around
developmental issues. Far from wanting to
create 'super babies,' the parents of ART children just
want to be assured that their kids will be 'normal' and
not different from those created by natural procreation.
Additionally, some folks worried that people who used
ART to conceive may have become over-anxious, over-
protective, and otherwise dysfunctional parents,
leading to a new generation of socially and emotionally
impaired children.
Concerns that have been studied include:
- pregnancy complications, gestational age at
delivery, birthweight, and newborn Apgar scores
- congenital abnormalities
- developmental milestones
- parent-child interactions
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New & Evolving Data
We've now had a chance to observe through sound,
long-term studies the developmental progress of
thousands of IVF babies into young adulthood. The
news is good.
First, researchers must always factor in the reality
that, as a group, babies born to parents who used ART
have an increased chance of being the result of a
multiple pregnancy or birth. Multiples have higher risks
of any number of pregnancy, delivery, and birthweight
related problems.
Once the multiples factor has been accounted for,
numerous studies have indicated that there are
virtually no differences between IVF children and kids
born from spontaneous conception. ICSI, which raised
even more concerns when first introduced, also seems
to result in "normal" children. The latest technology,
PGD, may only have produced children who are now up
to ten years old, but their outcomes already appear
satisfactory.
In all, most concerns about the kids of ART are related
to whether or not the children are singletons or
multiples.
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Great Kids, No Worries
Most recent estimates are that up to 220,000 children
were born from IVF worldwide in the year 2000 alone.
The number of studies done to look at how
they "turned out" is countless. Parents and
professionals alike have a vested interest in the well-
being of children who are literally the creations of an
incredible combination of science and nature.
While it's certainly understandable that many infertile
patients would welcome (and in some cases, even
actively pursue) multiple pregnancies, the data that
has been compiled since Louise Brown's birth indicates
one certain thing -- that, as a group, singletons have
fewer problems from the start than multiples.
Considering the anxious excitement with which most
patients start the IVF process, the statistics are
sobering. The encouraging news for multiples, however,
is that there are general tendencies for them to "catch
up" to their singleton counterparts along the
developmental road.
Still, no one is stopping at this point. Research
continues and professional groups are convened for the
sole purpose of keeping an eye on ART kids and their
families. In a way, it's as if the children born through
assisted reproductive technology enjoy the concern of
a worldwide family.
As a mother, I understand my patients' natural parental
worries. I welcome your questions related to this and
any other reproductive medicine concern.
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More Locations
Need the convenience of a southwest Houston
location? We're now seeing patients at our new,
additional office: 3535 Town Center Blvd in Sugar Land.
Please call our Central office (713-862-6181) for
specific directions.
Sincerely,
Sonja B. Kristiansen, MD
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