Children born with IVF are more prone to mental illness

Experts from University College London and their Finnish colleagues found that children who conceived through IVF were 10% more likely to develop mental illness. They talked about it in a magazine article. European Population Journal.

Researchers analyzed information on 280.5 thousand children born in Finland in 1995-2000. 13.7 thousand of them were born with the help of assisted reproductive technologies.

Children who conceived through artificial insemination during adolescence learned better and were less likely to drop out of school, remain uneducated and unemployed. However, these differences disappeared after adjusting to socio-economic conditions – apparently, children born with the help of IVF often grow up in more prosperous and affluent families.

At the same time, children who conceived with the help of IVF were more likely to suffer from mental illnesses, especially depression and anxiety disorders. The difference was not huge – 10% for those who conceived artificially and 9% for those who conceive naturally.

“The fact that children conceived with IVF tend to be firstborn explains some of the extreme risks. It is also possible for parents of these children to experience depression and anxiety, which increases the likelihood of children. On the other hand, parents may be more concerned about their child’s well-being and may be more likely to see their child with a doctor, so these children may be more likely to be diagnosed with certain conditions.

As the oldest child born via IVF is now 43 years old, this area of ​​research is relatively new and little researched, they stress. Given the increasing number of children conceived through IVF, it is important to understand the long-term effects of IVF on children and young people.