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Assisted conception and the risk of CHD: a case–control study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 May 2016

Susie J. Schofield ,
Victoria L. Doughty ,
Nicole van Stiphout ,
Rodney C. G. Franklin ,
Mark R. Johnson ,
Piers E. F. Daubeney  and
Paul Cullinan
Susie J. Schofield*
Affiliation:
Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Imperial College (NHLI), London, United Kingdom Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
Victoria L. Doughty
Affiliation:
Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
Nicole van Stiphout
Affiliation:
Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
Rodney C. G. Franklin
Affiliation:
Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
Mark R. Johnson
Affiliation:
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
Piers E. F. Daubeney
Affiliation:
Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom
Paul Cullinan
Affiliation:
Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Imperial College (NHLI), London, United Kingdom Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
*
Correspondence to: Ms S. J. Schofield, Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Imperial College (National Heart and Lung Institute), Emmanuel Kaye Building, 1b Manresa Road, London SW3 6LR, United Kingdom. Tel: 020 759 47964; Fax: 0207 351 8336; E-mail: s.schofield@imperial.ac.uk
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Abstract

Epidemiological studies suggest a higher prevalence of congenital malformations in children conceived through assisted reproductive technologies. There are a few studies that address CHD specifically and most have examined data from registries. We examined the relationship between CHD and assisted conception using data collected in a specialist paediatric cardiac service in the United Kingdom.

Between April, 2010 and July, 2011, the parents of children attending paediatric cardiology clinics at the Royal Brompton Hospital, London, were invited to complete a questionnaire that enquired about the nature of their child’s conception, the route for their original referral, and a number of potential confounding exposures. “Cases” were defined as children diagnosed with one or more carefully defined CHDs and “controls” as those with normal hearts.

Of 894 new attendees with complete data, half of them were cases (n=410, 45.9%). The overall prevalence of assisted conception was 5.4% (n=44). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated a non-significant increase in the crude odds for the use of assisted reproduction (odds ratio 1.21, 95% confidence interval 0.66–2.22) in this group. After adjustment for gestation, parity, year of birth, and maternal age, the odds ratio reduced (odds ratio 0.95, 95% confidence interval 0.48–1.88). Increased rates of assisted conception were observed in a number of CHD subgroups, although no significant differences were found.

These findings do not suggest an overall association between CHD and assisted reproduction in this population.

Keywords

Heart defectscongenitalassisted reproductive technologiesovulation inductionin vitro fertilisation

Information

Type
Original Articles
Information
Cardiology in the Young , Volume 27 , Issue 3 , March 2017 , pp. 473 - 479
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Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2016 

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Footnotes

*

Joint last authors.

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