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In vitro fertilisation and use of ovulation enhancers may both influence childhood height in very low birthweight infants

Authors: I R, Makhoul; A, Tamir; D, Bader; A, Rotschild; Z, Weintraub; S, Yurman; D, Reich; +5 Authors

In vitro fertilisation and use of ovulation enhancers may both influence childhood height in very low birthweight infants

Abstract

Context: Term-born children conceived by in vitro fertilisation (IVF) are reportedly taller than naturally conceived (NC) children. High levels of growth promoting hormones and epigenetic imprinting have been suggested as pathogenetic mechanisms. Hypothesis: Tall stature in prematurely born IVF-conceived (IVF-C) children suggests pre- or early implantation imprinting rather than a postnatal effect. Methods: We studied 334 very low birthweight (VLBW: birth weight <1500 g) children born prematurely during 1995–1999 and obtained their anthropometric measures at 6–10 years of age. Perinatal and neonatal data were obtained from the Israeli VLBW database. We compared IVF-C, ovulating agents conceived (OA-C) and naturally conceived (NC) groups of children with respect to their and their parents’ anthropometry and their perinatal/neonatal variables. Results: Childhood height standard deviation scores (SDSs) were greatest in IVF-C (−0.12 (SD 1.25); p<0.022) and insignificantly greater in OA-C (−0.37 (SD 1.02)) as compared to NC (−0.58 (SD 1.36)) children. The IVF-C and NC groups were significantly different regarding 17 parental and perinatal variables; however, multiple regression analysis including these variables showed that, as compared with NC, IVF-C children had significantly older mothers at birth with earlier follow-up during pregnancy and more multi-fetal pregnancies. Conclusions: IVF-C and to a lesser extent OA-C prematurely born children are taller than otherwise NC children. After ruling out postnatal and parental causes, we speculate that pre- or early implantation factors might have contributed to the taller stature of IVF-C children.

Keywords

Male, Anthropometry, Infant, Newborn, Gestational Age, Receptors, Somatomedin, Fertilization in Vitro, Body Height, Child Development, Ovulation Induction, Humans, Infant, Very Low Birth Weight, Female, Child

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Powered by OpenAIRE graph
citations
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
20
Average
Average
Average