A new study has shown that there are no increased mental health risks for adolescents who were conceived through IVF, as well as no increased risks for neurodevelopmental conditions. That’s good news for those conceived this way, and also for potential parents who will need IVF to start or grow their families. 

In the past, there have been concerns that conceiving children this way put them at higher risk of developmental issues, which led some couples and individuals to avoid IVF even though they wanted to be parents.

Now, anyone considering assisted reproductive technology (ART) options including IVF can rest assured that they won’t be putting their children at any risk. This new study followed babies all the way through their formative years and into adolescence and found no statistically significant difference between them and their naturally conceived counterparts.

For the purposes of this study, mental health issues included depression, anxiety, ADHD, and autism. Ten thousand babies and toddlers were tracked since the study began in 2004, and 22% were found to have a mental disorder. This is in line with the percentage of naturally conceived children who develop mental health issues, and further reinforces the idea that choosing IVF or other ART options is a safe and effective way to help those with reproductive concerns create families of their own.

One of the reasons this particular study was so important was that it controlled for variables that other studies had not been able to address, including maternal mental health and the baby’s birth weight. Looking at those kinds of issues while also following children into adolescence provided more validity to the study and reinforced the consistency of the findings.

In short, individuals and couples who need or want to use IVF or other reproductive assistance to have children can and should do so with security and peace of mind. They won’t be putting their children at risk of mental health issues. Any child conceived through IVF who develops mental health issues would have had essentially the same level of risk if IVF wasn’t used.

At The Surrogacy Law Center, our thorough contracts establish the intent of the parties regarding parental rights, identify the parties’ financial responsibility, and ensure all parties are aware of the importance of informed consent, providing our clients with further peace of mind as they navigate their third party assisted reproduction journeys. To learn more, contact us today!