IVF Babies Do Better In School But Are More Depressed
This is interesting …
According to the New York Post, new research finds that babies born through IVF are more likely to perform better in school, but they’re also more likely to be more depressed. A study done by the University of Helsinki in Finland looks at 280-thousand kids born in that country between 1995 and 2000 to compare those born through assisted reproductive technology (ART) techniques like IVF treatment and artificial insemination to those conceived naturally.
Researchers found the kids conceived by ART did better in school and were less likely to drop out and more likely to be employed than naturally conceived kids. ART-conceived children were also found to have a slightly higher risk for developing a mental health disorder, particularly anxiety or depression. Around 10 percent of kids born through ART in the study received a mental diagnosis between ages 16 and 18, compared to nine percent of naturally conceived teens the same age.
But study authors believe that has more to do with external factors than the method of conception as they say there’s no evidence IVF treatment causes mental health problems. They also point out that ART conceived kids are more likely to come from more affluent families who have access to financial and emotional resources that help with educational outcomes, so that could explain the advantage. The study also notes that this area of research is “relatively new and underexplored” since the oldest child conceived by IVF is just 43 now.
Source: New York Post
