CNN.com: Fertility treatments linked to certain birth defects

A new article from CNN.com reports on a study performed by the CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. The report concludes that babies born with assisted reproductive technology (ART) are two to four times more likely to have certain birth defects. ART technology includes in-vitro fertilization, and fertilization through donor eggs. It does not include artificial insemination. The authors of the study caution however, that the overall risk for birth defects remains low.

The study compared 281 babies born through ART to 14,000 babies conceived naturally. Of the 18 categories of birth defects studied, only four were found to be statistically significant. Babies born using ART were found to be twice as likely to develop septal heart defects (a hole in the heart) and cleft lip. Babies were four times more likely to develop two certain gastrointestinal defects.

In 2005 134,000 ART procedures were performed, resulting in 52,000 births. The numbers of women turning to ART and other fertility treatments is steadily rising. The authors of the study caution that as more women turn to technology to resolve infertility problems, they become aware of the potential risks involved.