Children Conceived Through Assisted Reproductive Technology May Have Higher Likelihood Of Autism.

Children conceived through assisted reproductive technology, such as in vitro fertilization, are twice as likely to have autism as those conceived without assistance, a new study finds. But researchers only found an association, which may be explained by multiple births and other risks, not the infertility treatment itself, experts said. The study included nearly 6 million children born from 1997 to 2007. After taking into account factors such as mother's education and multiple births, the increased risk was seen only for mothers under 35, the researchers said. "The risk of autism appears to be largely modifiable by restricting IVF to single-embryo transfer," said lead researcher Peter Bearman, a professor of social sciences at Columbia University in New York City. http://consumer.healthday.com/cognitive-health-information-26/autism-news-51/ivf-kids-have-higher-odds-of-autism-study-finds-697622.html