IVF Babies at Risk for Autism, Mental Retardation?
First there was the breast cancer scare (not yet fully documented, but anecdotally, it's there), then the possibility that male babies born using a method to pierce the egg to allow sperm in may also make them infertile, and now researchers are saying that babies born through IVF have a slightly higher risk of mental retardation . Researchers admit it's a small percentage of babies born this way, but it's statistically significant, and applies mainly to multiple births. According to a story at newswise.com, 1.5% of children born through IVF in Sweden are autistic, and 1.1%, have been diagnosed with mental retardation. This new study, conducted in Sweden on more than 2.5 million children that compared those conceived through natural means to those through IVF procedures, has found an increased risk of both autism and mental retardation. The prevalence of this disorder is small, but scientists say it is not seen in the general population of babies conceived naturally....