Long-term endocrine disorders in children born from pregnancies conceived following fertility treatments

Background: Despite the endocrine basis of several infertility etiologies, data on long-term endocrine consequences in offspring conceived following fertility treatments remain limited. Aim: To determine the risk of long-term endocrine disorders among children born after in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and ovulation induction (OI) as compared with spontaneous pregnancies. Study design, subjects, and outcome measures: A population-based cohort study including all singleton deliveries occurring between 1991 and 2014 at a single tertiary medical center was performed. Hospitalization rates up to the age of 18 years involving endocrine disorders were compared between children delivered following pregnancies achieved by IVF, OI, and spontaneous pregnancies. A Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to compare cumulative morbidity incidence. A Cox regression model was used to control for confounders. Results: During the study period, 242,187 singleton deliveries met the inclusion criteria; 1.0% were following IVF (n = 2603), 0.7% following OI (n = 1721), and the remaining (n = 237,863) were following spontaneous conceptions. Hospitalizations up to the age of 18 years involving endocrine disorders were comparable in children delivered following IVF (0.4%), OI (0.8%) and spontaneous pregnancies (0.5%; p = 0.09). The Kaplan-Meier survival curve demonstrated comparable cumulative incidence of endocrine morbidity following IVF and OI (log-rank p = 0.30). Using the Cox regression model while controlling for confounders, no significant association was noted between IVF (adjusted HR = 0.95, CI 0.51–1.87), or OI (adjusted HR = 1.32, CI 0.78–2.24) conceived pregnancies, and long-term pediatric endocrine morbidity. Conclusions: Singletons conceived via fertility treatment do not appear to be at an increased risk for long-term endocrine disorders.