Comparison of the Developmental Status in Children Born Following Assisted Reproductive Technology and Spontaneous Pregnancy

Background: The assisted reproductive technology (ART) is an important option for fertility in infertile couples. The aim of infertility treatment is not only pregnancy, but also healthy children. However, there are challenges to the development of children born following ART. The present study aimed to compare the developmental status of children born following ART and spontaneous pregnancy. Methods: The study was a retrospective cohort study that investigated ۸۴ children born following ART and ۱۶۸ children born following spontaneous pregnancy at the same age. They had referred to comprehensive health centers of Isfahan in ۲۰۱۹. The cases were selected through systematic random sampling. Data collection tools included the researcher-made demographic information questionnaire, and the standard Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ). We evaluated the children's development in five developmental domains, namely communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem-solving, and personal-social domains. The data was analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics in SPSS version ۲۱ at a significance level of <۰.۰۵. Results: Analysis of covariance after adjusting the demographic variables indicated that the developmental domains were not significantly different in children born following ART and spontaneous pregnancy (P>۰.۰۵). Pearson correlation coefficient test showed gross motor had a statistically significant association with the child's age (p =۰.۲۴, r = ۰.۰۷۵), birth weight (p =۰.۴۷, r = ۰.۰۴۵), current weight (p =۰.۳۴, r = ۰.۰۶۱), and current height (p =۰.۳۰, r = ۰.۰۶۶). Conclusion: There was no statistically significant difference in the development of children born following ART and Spontaneous pregnancy. The gross motor had a statistically significant association with some demographic information of children.

Keywords:

Assisted reproductive technology , Child , Development , Spontaneous pregnancy