Does IVF at the age of 45 affect babies?
With the advent of IVF technology, older couples can also realize their desire to have children. However, some people are worried about whether the mother's age of IVF will affect the baby's health. This article will discuss this issue in detail from four aspects: pregnancy and childbirth risks, congenital diseases, intellectual development and long-term health.
1. Risk during pregnancy and childbirth
First, the IVF program may face a higher risk of pregnancy and childbirth in older women. The female reproductive system gradually ages with age, which may increase the risk of complications during pregnancy, such as hypertension, gestational diabetes and oligohydramnios. In addition, higher age may also increase the probability of caesarean section and premature delivery.
However, formal IVF clinics usually conduct a comprehensive health assessment and review of women to ensure that their physical condition is suitable for IVF procedures. Doctors will formulate the best treatment plan according to women's personal conditions and physical conditions, and closely monitor the progress of pregnancy and childbirth to minimize potential risks.
In addition, the progress of modern medical technology provides more means for risk management during pregnancy and childbirth. For example, gynecological ultrasound examination and regular prenatal examination can help to find potential complications early and take corresponding interventions to ensure the safety of mothers and babies.
2. Congenital diseases
A common concern of older mothers who give birth to IVF babies is that babies may face a higher risk of congenital diseases. Research shows that the mother's age is one of the important factors affecting the probability of congenital diseases. For example, the incidence of abnormal genetic conditions such as Down's syndrome and chromosome abnormalities increases with the increase of mother's age.
However, IVF technology has also made great progress in embryo screening and genetic diagnosis, reducing the risk of congenital diseases. For example, before embryo transfer, doctors can carry out gene testing on the embryo to screen the embryo carrying some abnormal genes, thus reducing the risk of disease for the baby. In addition, doctors can also carry out amniocentesis or non-invasive prenatal gene testing and other means to help couples understand the genetic health of the fetus.
Therefore, although older mothers may face a higher risk of congenital diseases when giving birth to IVF, modern genetic technology can effectively reduce this risk and improve the health quality of the baby.
3. Intellectual development
Another concern is whether IVF will affect the intellectual development of babies. Older mothers may worry that their babies are lagging behind their peers in intelligence.
However, the research results do not clearly show that there are special problems in the intellectual development of IVF. According to several studies, there is no significant difference in the intellectual development of IVF compared with children who are naturally pregnant. The IQ of IVF infants is more related to their parents' genes than to the IVF process itself. The influence of mother's age on baby's intelligence is mainly realized through gene transmission mechanism.
Therefore, there is no significant difference in the intellectual development of IVF compared with that of naturally conceived children.
4. Long term health
Older mothers who give birth to IVF babies may pay more attention to the long-term health of their babies. Some studies have shown that IVF may face the risk of some chronic diseases, such as asthma, allergy and hypertension.
However, these results are inconsistent and may be interfered by other factors. Because in addition to the mother's age, family living environment and genetic factors may have an impact on the long-term health of the baby. Therefore, it is impossible to determine whether the risk of these chronic diseases is only related to the IVF process.
In general, the mother's age of IVF may have a certain impact on the baby's health, but through the progress of modern medical technology and comprehensive inspection and monitoring, the risk has been effectively reduced. Therefore, when choosing IVF technology, couples should fully understand the relevant risks according to their own conditions and make wise decisions under the guidance of doctors.
