IVF Twins More Likely To Be Born Premature Than Naturally Conceived Twins, Review of Studies Says

Main Category: Fertility
Article Date: 29 Jul 2005 - 5:00 PDT

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Twins conceived by in vitro fertilization are about 1.5 times as likely to be born premature as twins conceived through sexual intercourse, according to a review of studies published in the July issue of the... American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reuters Health reports. Sarah McDonald of the University of Ottawa and colleagues compared the rates of adverse birth outcomes among IVF-conceived and naturally conceived twins born to women of similar ages using data from previous studies. After examining data for 2,303 IVF-conceived infants and 2,326 naturally conceived infants, the researchers also found that IVF twins were two times as likely to be admitted to the intensive care unit and 1.33 times as likely to be delivered by caesarean section as naturally conceived twins. The review found no differences between the two groups of twins in the rates of stillbirths, low-birthweight infants, serious complications during delivery or birth defects. The researchers speculated that potential reasons for the increase in premature births might include factors associated with IVF technology, a history of infertility, or physician or patient anxiety (Reuters Health, 7/26).

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