Young IVF adults are healthy
/A new study, the largest one of its kind so far, has confirmed that the long-term health outcomes of children conceived following IVF are good. This research was carried out in collaboration with Monash IVF and concluded that the physical and mental health of more than 500 young 'IVF' adults was generally the same as the naturally conceived control population. Their educational achievements were also similar.
The study, led by Prof Halliday, did find that IVF-conceived offspring had higher rates of asthma, hay fever and hospitalisation in their first 18 years of life. It is at this stage unclear whether this is due to the IVF treatment per se or perhaps to different parenting behaviours. It has indeed been suggested that the rising number of asthma sufferers worldwide is perhaps linked to a drop in the exposure to germs in the environment (the hygiene hypothesis).