According to a new study, there may be some benefits to quality of life in adulthood in children conceived through assisted reproductive technology (ART) such as IVF. The results of the new study were published in the journal Human Fertility. The study confirms the news for those who conceive with ART and those who need to use technology to conceive.Also read – 3 simple exercises for your neck, shoulders and back
“Our findings suggest that conceiving ART may have some benefits on quality of life in adulthood, independent of other psychosocial factors,” said Karin Hammerberg, lead author at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. Also read – 8 Healthy Habits For Women To Consider In Their 30s
“With previous evidence that adults conceived naturally by ART have the same physical health as those who conceive naturally, this is reassuring for those conceiving with ART – and those who need ART to conceive,” he added. Also read – Diet for weight loss? What Your Nutritionist Doesn’t Tell You!
In the four decades since the first birth after in vitro fertilization (IVF) in 1978, more than 8 million babies have been born as a result of ART. At the time, many studies evaluated the physical health, development, and psychosocial well-being of ART-conceived children in comparison to natural conception (NC). But at present, little is known about the health and quality of life of adults conceived by ART.
The study included 193 young adults in the Australian state of Victoria who were conceived by ART and 86 by NC. These participants completed the questionnaires, which included World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQoL-BREF) at the age of 18-28 (T1) and again at the age of 22-35 (T2). . WHOQoL-BREF evaluates four domains of quality of life:
1) Physical
2) Psychosocial
3) Social relations
4) Environment
The researchers looked at the connections between T1 (method of pregnancy, maternal age at birth, sexual orientation, family financial status in secondary school, perceptions of their own weight, number of close friends, vigorous exercise frequency). Quality of relationship with parents) and scores on four domains of WHOQoL-BREF at T2.
After making statistical adjustments to take into account other psychosocial factors present in adolescence, the results showed that ART-pregnancy was strongly associated with higher scores (good quality of life) on both social relationships and the environment WHOQoL-BREF domains on the T2. In addition, perceptions about less psychological distress, a more positive relationship with parents, a better financial situation, and a fair weight on T1 were associated with higher scores on one or more WHOQoL-BREF domains on T2.
Hammerberg said children conceived by ART are a significant part of the population today – and it is important to continue to evaluate the long-term effects of ART on their physical health and well-being as they move from adolescence to adulthood.
“While considering other factors present in young adulthood, ART-pregnancy has some benefits in quality of life. Perhaps surprisingly, we also found that, apart from how the person was conceived, good relationships with parents, less mental distress and a good family finances in young adulthood contributed to a better quality of adult life, “he concluded. .
(With ANI inputs)
