Reproductive Health of Adults Conceived by IVF and GIFT

Abstract

Background: We have an established cohort of singleton adults conceived by IVF and GIFT born from January 1982 to December 1992, and matched controls conceived without assisted reproduction (non-ART). They have participated in two previous studies: 1) a telephone interview study when aged 21 years on average and 2) a clinical review 6 years later. As these adults are reaching the average age of first-time parents, it is important to determine their reproductive health. Aim: To examine the reproductive health of IVF/GIFT-conceived adults compared to non-ART controls. Method: Contact details were confirmed via email or the Australian Electoral Roll. Participants were asked to complete a 15-minute online questionnaire hosted in REDCap with questions about fertility and reproductive health, well-being, self-reported health status, demographics and important potential outcome modifiers. Data were analysed using chi-squared and [Formula: see text]-tests. Results: 231 IVF (60%), 74 GIFT (65%) and 153 non-ART (41%) control participants completed the questionnaire. As there were no outcome differences between IVF and GIFT, their results are combined. The overall median age of the IVF/GIFT group and controls was 31.3 years, and 63% were female in both groups. In both groups just over a third had already given birth, with 15% and 18% respectively reporting having had medical advice for fertility concerns. Endometriosis was the only condition more common in IVF/GIFT-conceived females compared to female controls (16% versus 8%, p=0.07). There were no differences between IVF/GIFT and non-ART conceived women on other female reproductive conditions such as PCOS (18% and 16% respectively) and painful periods (26% and 30% respectively). All male conditions such as undescended testes, sperm parameters or erectile disorders were rare in both groups. Conclusion: As IVF/GIFT-conceived individuals reach the average childbearing age of 31 years, they appear to have no substantial adverse outcomes related to their reproductive health or fertility.