What infertility treatments don’t tell you

For a long time, infertility treatments have been considered as the best option for treating infertility. However, a recent study in the United States showed that babies born to mothers who underwent infertility treatments are two to four times more likely to have congenital defects. Similar findings were seen in some European studies.

Although the defects found by the researchers are all surgically treatable, it is still a must for couples to know about the possible effects that infertility treatments can bring to their child. These defects include congenital heart diseases, cleft lip and cleft palate, and gastrointestinal problems.

With the recent discovery of these findings, is it possible that infertility treatments may lose their popularity among infertile couples? It seems unlikely, since the risk of having a baby with defects is very small. Moreover, further research is still needed to know whether the defects are caused by treatments given or by the infertility condition itself.