Urologic birth defects in IVF babies

According to a recent study, children conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques may have an increased risk for a rare set of urologic birth defects. The birth defects, which include the formation of the bladder outside the body, are known as the cloacal-bladder exstrophy-epispadias complex. Bladder exstrophy occurs when the bladder is turned inside out and forms on the outside of the abdomen. Epispadias, a related condition, affects the urethra and genitals. Both conditions can often be repaired surgically.Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children's Centre in Baltimore evaluated 78 infants born between 1998 and 2001 diagnosed with exstrophy-epispadias. Of the group, four infants were conceived by IVF methods. Based on what is known about the frequency of the birth defect in the general population, the researchers estimate that the birth defect was 7.3 times more common in IVF infants than would normally be expected.

Bladder exstrophy the most common defect in the complex, which includes abnormalities involving the bladder, pelvic bones, urethra and genitals occurs in 3.3 infants out of every 100,000 births. It is concluded that exstrophy-epispadias complex appears to occur more frequently in children conceived by in vitro fertilization. Researchers, however, caution potential IVF users that their findings are preliminary and this should not dissuade future parents from conceiving children with the aid of IVF. Further research is needed to verify these findings and understand this association.

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