Authors say findings suggest that infertility-related factors may contribute to higher rates of adverse birth outcomes in assisted pregnancies<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter<\/b><\/p>\n
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WEDNESDAY, April 5, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Same-sex lesbian couples undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) have more favorable or similar birth outcomes to heterosexual couples who conceive naturally or undergo ART to conceive, according to a study published in the April 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association<\/em>.<\/p>\n Alice Goisis, Ph.D., from University College London, and colleagues compared birth outcomes in ART pregnancies among same-sex lesbian couples (868 couples) versus natural conceptions (456,898 couples) and ART pregnancies among heterosexual couples (23,488 couples). The analysis included all births in Sweden from 2007 to 2018.<\/p>\n The researchers found that infants of couples who conceived naturally had significantly lower birth weight (adjusted difference, \u00e2\u0088\u009276.2 g; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], \u00e2\u0088\u0092113 to \u00e2\u0088\u009239.3 g; P < 0.001) and gestational age and similar risk for low birth weight (adjusted difference, 0.28 [95 percent CI, \u00e2\u0088\u00921.11 to 1.66] percentage points; P = 0.70) and preterm delivery versus same-sex couples who conceived via ART. For infants of heterosexual couples who conceived via ART, birth weight and gestational age were significantly lower compared with infants of same-sex couples (e.g., birth weight: adjusted difference, \u00e2\u0088\u009297.4 g; 95 percent CI, \u00e2\u0088\u0092134.8 to \u00e2\u0088\u009259.9 g; P < 0.001), while low birth weight and preterm birth trended higher for heterosexual couples but did not reach statistical significance (e.g., low birth weight: adjusted difference, 1.23 [95 percent CI, \u00e2\u0088\u00920.17 to 2.65] percentage points; P = 0.09).<\/p>\n “This study demonstrated that same-sex lesbian couples undergoing ART had more favorable or similar birth outcomes to heterosexual couples who conceived naturally or underwent ART to conceive, suggesting that infertility-related factors rather than reproductive treatments contribute to higher rates of adverse birth outcomes in ART pregnancies,” the authors write.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n <\/i><\/p>\n