Many mothers wonder whether the decision to have their child born after treatment will influence its future development. A recent study by the Centre for Fertility and Health at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health has provided the answer.
The findings, published in the journal ‘Human reproduction’, indican que los patrones de crecimiento entre niños concebidos de manera natural y los que nacen de tratamientos de reproducción asistida son distintos, pero que cuando llegan a los 17 años ambos grupos tienen una altura, peso e índice de masa corporal (IMC) similares.
Researchers found that children born through assisted reproductive technology had an average birth weight of 3,495g and an average length of 50.2cm compared to 3,608g and 50.5cm for children conceived naturally.
However, children conceived through assisted reproductive technology grew more rapidly in their first 18 months and after one year of age were slightly longer and heavier than children conceived naturally, a difference that persisted until age seven, then equalled out from age 17 onwards.
Therefore, there is no difference in height, weight or BMI between the two groups once they reach adolescence, the study authors note.
This study was conducted on 81,461 children from birth to seven years of age and 544,113 adolescents to compare their size at 17 years of age.