Children conceived via infertility treatments to have low mental health outcomes
Children conceived through medically assisted reproduction (MAR) fare better at school but are slightly more likely to have mental health problems by their late teens, finds a new study.
Published in the European Journal of Population, the observational study explores the link between medically assisted reproduction - including techniques such as IVF treatment, artificial insemination and ovulation induction - and young people's educational outcomes and mental health.
The researchers used administrative records on 280,682 Finnish children born between 1995 and 2000, and compared a range of educational and mental health outcomes among adolescents aged between 16 and 18 who were conceived naturally (266,925) and through medically assisted reproduction (13,757).
The researchers found that adolescents conceived by medically assisted reproduction performed better in school, were less likely to drop out and were at a lower risk of not being in education or employment or leaving home early compared to naturally conceived adolescents. These differences mostly disappeared when family circumstances were accounted for, suggesting that socioeconomic background is an important factor in explaining this advantage.
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