Babies born via IVF are up to twice as likely to develop potentially fatal heart defects, according to a large-scale study.
Those conceived through assisted reproductive technology such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) are significantly more likely to develop congenital heart problems.
This risk increases even further if they are born as twins, according to research involving more than 7.7 million people.
Experts say the discovery could help doctors make faster diagnoses, with babies often needing immediate surgery.
Researchers studied the health records of all live birth children born in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden over a period of 20 to 31 years.
Babies born via IVF are up to twice as likely to develop potentially fatal heart defects, a large-scale study shows
Those conceived through assisted reproductive technology such as in vitro fertilization (IVF, shown close-up) are significantly more likely to have congenital heart problems
Heart defects were about 36 percent more common in babies born after assisted reproduction, compared to babies conceived naturally
They compared data on babies born after assisted reproduction, including IVF, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and embryo freezing, with data on naturally conceived babies.
They assessed how many liveborn children in each group were diagnosed with a serious heart defect or a serious heart defect, either in utero or in the first year of life.
Factors such as the child’s year of birth, country of birth, mother’s age at delivery, whether the mother smoked during pregnancy or whether the mother had diabetes or heart defects were taken into account.
Heart defects were about 36 percent more common in babies born after assisted reproduction, compared with babies conceived naturally, with the risk being similar regardless of the type used.
Twins or other multiple babies were more than twice as likely to have a serious heart defect as the rest of the population, 2.47 and 1.15 percent respectively.
Scientists say the findings, published in the peer-reviewed journal Heart, may indicate there is a common factor underlying infertility in parents and congenital heart disease in their babies.
Professor Ulla-Britt Wennerholm from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden said: ‘Congenital heart defects can be extremely serious and require specialist surgery when babies are very young. Knowing which babies are most at risk can help us diagnose heart defects as early as possible. possible and to ensure that appropriate care and treatment is provided.
‘More and more people are becoming pregnant with the help of assisted reproductive technology, so we can expect to see an increase in the number of cases of congenital heart defects worldwide.’
According to the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority, almost 400,000 have been born in Britain using IVF since 1991.
Scientists say it’s important that couples undergoing the procedure are aware of the potential risks, such as other birth defects or a lower birth rate.
In an accompanying editorial, Dr Nathalie Auger from the University of Montreal Hospital Research Center in Canada said: ‘Although most neonates born after assisted reproductive technology are healthy, these procedures are not without risks.
She added: ‘Patients using assisted reproductive technology tend to differ from the general population.
‘These patients may have underlying morbidities that affect both fertility and the risk of heart defects.’