A new study by the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research
has uncovered a significant decline in the risk of birth defects
amongst WA children born using Assisted Reproductive Technology
(ART). The study, published in the journal Obstetrics &
Gynecology, showed a large decrease in the rate of birth defects
between a similar Telethon Institute study carried out using
data from the mid-90′s and that of the updated study which
looked at a larger collection of data. The more recent study,
which included data up until 2002, showed the risk of birth
defects amongst single babies born using Assisted Reproductive
Technology in WA dropped from 10.9% between 1994 and 1998 to
7.5% in the four years following (1998-2002), compared with a
rate of 5.2% in the naturally conceived group. Twins born via
assisted pregnancies also showed a similar pattern of decreasing
risk from the first time period to the second. “Our study
suggests an encouraging decline in major birth defect prevalence
in children born as a result of