Friday, February 26, 2010

Do Fertility Treatments Raise Autism Risk?

BOSTON -- Doctors at 15 autism treatment centers nationwide have collected data that show an association between autism and children conceived through in vitro fertilization, WCVB-TV in Boston reported.
More than 1,400 families of autistic children completed medical questionnaires that asked, among other things, if their child was conceived with assisted reproductive technology, or ART. IVF is the most common type.
Twelve percent of those questioned said yes, a number Dr. Patricia Davis said is 10 times the most recent national average published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, Davis cautions, "I don't want to leave anyone with the impression that we think IVF causes autism. That's not the case. It just leads to so many more questions."

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