Risk Of Birth Defects In Children Born Following Infertility Treatment
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$191,962.00
Summary
The development of assisted reproductive technology (ART) for infertility treatment has advanced at a tremendous pace since late 1970's. The use of ART is becoming increasingly frequent, with Australia having one of the highest rates of use internationally. Over 4,000 births result from ART annually in Australia. At the same time, minimally invasive infertility treatment-ovulation induction and insemination, remains a main option for some infertile couples and also generates several thousand bir ....The development of assisted reproductive technology (ART) for infertility treatment has advanced at a tremendous pace since late 1970's. The use of ART is becoming increasingly frequent, with Australia having one of the highest rates of use internationally. Over 4,000 births result from ART annually in Australia. At the same time, minimally invasive infertility treatment-ovulation induction and insemination, remains a main option for some infertile couples and also generates several thousand births annually. A fundamental concern for those involved in infertility treatment is the health of the children born following the treatment. Evidence from many studies indicates that compared to the general population, ART babies are more likely to be a twin or triplet, have a low birth weight, be born premature, and suffer higher rates of perinatal death and cerebral palsy. These issues are gradually being addressed by transferring a single embryo in a cycle. Of greater concern is the recent reporting by a Western Australian team that the risk of major birth defects is doubled in ART children. This is a highly significant finding that has raised concern in patients and clinicians. It is imperative to verify the findings through replication in a larger study. It is equally important to identify whether the increased risk is due to potentially modifiable treatment factors or patient factors related to their infertility. This innovative study will therefore also separate patient characteristics and type of treatment, and partition the risk attributable to various factors. The health of children from infertility treatments is of fundamental concern and has become an important public health issue. This study will direct future basic research in embryology and clinical services where there is a continual need to balance technical innovation and efficacy with treatment safety. The long-term benefit will be improvement of the health status of Australian families.Read moreRead less
Uptake of fertility preservation procedures (eg. egg and embryo freezing) prior to cancer treatment is increasing and women will return to use these to try to conceive. Radiation may damage the uterus and there is insufficient evidence to guide the management of those exposed to intermediate doses. The aim is to improve understanding of radiation effects on the uterus which will assist clinicians with deciding whether it can support a pregnancy, or if surrogacy should be advised.
The aim of this project is to determine whether melatonin supplementation has an effect on cumulative pregnancy and delivery rates, allowing for the use of frozen embryos obtained during a melatonin treatment cycle. This will be achieved by a series of experiments designed to investigate the effect of melatonin on follicular fluid and culture media as well as assessing clinical pregnancy rates and delivery rates.
Three percent of children born in Australia are from IVF. It is typical in IVF to replace 2 or more embryos in order to attain an acceptable pregnancy rate. However, twin pregnancies are common as a result, with 25% of all twins coming from IVF. Twins represent a real medical issue for mother and infants. Therefore, this research will use new highly innovative technologies to determine the health of an individual embryo in the culture dish prior to transfer, making the selection and transfer of ....Three percent of children born in Australia are from IVF. It is typical in IVF to replace 2 or more embryos in order to attain an acceptable pregnancy rate. However, twin pregnancies are common as a result, with 25% of all twins coming from IVF. Twins represent a real medical issue for mother and infants. Therefore, this research will use new highly innovative technologies to determine the health of an individual embryo in the culture dish prior to transfer, making the selection and transfer of an individual embryo a reality.Read moreRead less