Laura Geggel – Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative

Patients undergoing fertility treatments have one less thing to worry about. A comprehensive review of several studies across four different countries may finally lay to rest a lingering debate about whether fertility treatment increases the risk of having a child with autism.

Seven studies from Denmark, Finland, Israel and Japan, with a total of 9,216 individuals with autism born between 1970 and 2006 were reviewed.They found that the studies with the best quality ratings and largest samples sizes showed no increased risk of autism for children born with the help of assisted reproductive technology. The review was published in the December 2013 issue of Human Reproduction. Click here to read the full article.