Wang Jing, Chen Lingling, Yong Yonghong, Yu Xiang, Chen Yin, Zhang Jie, Xia Xinru, Cui Yugui, Diao Feiyang, Liu Jiayin, Meng Yan
State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine and Offspring Health, Clinical Center of Reproductive Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
BJOG. 2025 Apr;132 Suppl 2:8-17. doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.18044. Epub 2025 Jan 8.
To assess the comprehensive health status of school-age children conceived through assisted reproductive technology (ART) compared to that of those conceived naturally.
A prospective cohort study of children conceived through ART.
First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, China.
One hundred school-age children were enrolled and followed up (51 conceived via ART and 49 naturally conceived (controls)).
A comprehensive health status assessment was performed in children aged 6-12 years, including anthropometric measurements, glucose-lipid metabolism, echocardiography, intelligence, behaviour, vision and hearing. Multivariate regression models were used to adjust for sociodemographic and perinatal covariates.
Comprehensive health status of children conceived via ART.
Children conceived by ART had similar height, weight, blood pressure, blood glucose and lipid profiles compared to the controls. Echocardiography showed similar cardiac geometric morphology and left/right ventricular diastolic-systolic function between the two groups. ART children had lower carotid intima-media thickness than controls (0.52 ± 0.11 vs. 0.58 ± 0.11). Visual acuity, hearing and intellectual and behavioural assessments were similar. An alternating covering test for the eyes showed a higher incidence of abnormal eye movement in the ART group than in the control group (87.76% vs. 68.89%).
The similar overall health status of ART- and naturally conceived children is reassuring for those receiving ART. However, our study shows a possible increase in the incidence of latent exotropia among ART children. Long-term follow-up is warranted to assess the overall health status associated with ART throughout the lifespan.
评估通过辅助生殖技术（ART）受孕的学龄儿童与自然受孕儿童相比的综合健康状况。
一项对通过ART受孕儿童的前瞻性队列研究。
中国南京医科大学第一附属医院。
招募了100名学龄儿童并进行随访（51名通过ART受孕，49名自然受孕（对照组））。
对6至12岁的儿童进行综合健康状况评估，包括人体测量、糖脂代谢、超声心动图、智力、行为、视力和听力。使用多变量回归模型对社会人口统计学和围产期协变量进行调整。
通过ART受孕儿童的综合健康状况。
与对照组相比，通过ART受孕的儿童在身高、体重、血压、血糖和血脂方面相似。超声心动图显示两组之间心脏几何形态和左/右心室舒张-收缩功能相似。ART儿童的颈动脉内膜中层厚度低于对照组（0.52±0.11 vs. 0.58±0.11）。视力、听力以及智力和行为评估相似。眼睛交替遮盖试验显示，ART组异常眼球运动的发生率高于对照组（87.76% vs. 68.89%）。
ART受孕儿童与自然受孕儿童总体健康状况相似，这让接受ART的人放心。然而，我们的研究表明ART儿童潜在外斜视的发生率可能增加。有必要进行长期随访以评估与ART相关的整个生命周期的总体健康状况。
