Several older couples who have difficulty conceiving naturally are taking fertility treatments therapy as an option, and one of these is the In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). With regards to this method, people try to question if it affects the development of the fetus or the child later on. Based on the studies conducted, there is no significant delay related to in vitro fertilization as a method of conceiving.
Test Tube babies are those children conceived through Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) where an egg is collected from the mother and a sperm from the father is combined in a laboratory to be fertilized. After the process, the embryo is then implanted back to the mother's uterus, according to the American Pregnancy Association.
Speculation spread about the danger of having a baby with developmental delays as a result of in vitro fertilization. Doctors began to study the effects of IVF to the developing fetus on their mother's womb and a child born through artificial insemination.
In one of the studies, 13% of the children who are artificially inseminated has a developmental delay while 18% of the children who are conceived naturally has a developmental delay. The result of the study only recommends that the allegation has no significance.
At the age of three, a child conceived with the help of fertility therapy does not show any developmental delays compared to a child whose parents conceived naturally, as posted on WebMD. It is not only the ART method to be taken in consideration when assessing a child that is conceived artificially.Couples who submit themselves to ART usually have an underlying medical condition and are older.
Studies also account other factors such as the parents' age, educational attainments, and the mothers drinking and smoking habits. Findings of one of the study also suggest that children conceived through ART seemed to have no increased risk of being diagnosed with developmental delays like autism, speech and language disabilities.
