Evaluation of the Risk of Birth Defects Related to the Use of Assisted Reproductive Technology: An Updated Systematic Review

Dawid Serafin, Beniamin Oskar Grabarek, Dariusz Boroń, Andrzej Madej, Wojciech Cnota and Bartosz Czuba
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Dawid Serafin: Serafin Clinic, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
Beniamin Oskar Grabarek: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics with Gynecologic Oncology, Ludwik Rydygier Memorial Specialized Hospital, 31-826 Kraków, Poland
Dariusz Boroń: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics with Gynecologic Oncology, Ludwik Rydygier Memorial Specialized Hospital, 31-826 Kraków, Poland
Andrzej Madej: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Technology, Academy of Silesia, 41-800 Zabrze, Poland
Wojciech Cnota: Department of Women’s Health, Faculty of Health Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 40-752 Katowice, Poland
Bartosz Czuba: Department of Women’s Health, Faculty of Health Sciences in Katowice, Medical University of Silesia, 40-752 Katowice, Poland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 8, 1-13

Abstract: Fertility problems constitute a serious medical, social, and demographic problem. With this review, we aim to critically appraise and evaluate the existing literature surrounding the risk of birth defects in offspring conceived using techniques based on assisted reproductive technology (ART). Based on searches of the literature in PubMed and ScienceDirect, we obtained a total of 2,003,275 works related to the topic. Ultimately, 11 original papers published in the last 10 years qualified for inclusion in the study. Based on five studies included in this analysis, it was shown that ART significantly increases the risk of congenital malformations in associated newborns. Due to the specifics of given studies, as well as potential confounding risk factors, this influence cannot be ignored. Therefore, considering the information contained in the articles included in this systematic review, it was determined that the risk of birth defects is not directly related to the use of ART itself but also depends on the age of partners, causes of infertility, comorbidities, and the number of fetuses during a pregnancy, as well as many other factors not covered in the literature. It is thus necessary to impress upon infertile couples who wish to have offspring that the use of ART is not risk-free but that the benefits outweigh the risks. Further education in this field, as well as social understanding, is also required.

Keywords: prenatal diagnostic; assisted reproductive techniques; birth defects; fetal; PRISMA (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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