IVF children more likely to have asthma

Asthma is more common among children born after IVF and other treatments than among children who have been planned and conceived naturally, suggests a study led by Oxford University researchers. However, the researchers say that their findings should not worry parents of children born after assisted reproduction technology (ART). Claire Carson, a member of the research team at Oxford University's National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, said: 'Although the children born after ART were more likely to be diagnosed and treated for asthma than other children, it is important to remember that in absolute terms the difference is quite small. 'Fifteen per cent of the children in our study had asthma at the age of five. Although this figure was higher, 24%, in the IVF children, it isn't much higher than the one in five risk for all children in the UK. She added: 'Although we found an association, we cannot tell at this time if it is causal. Further research is needed to establish what might be causing the association and the underlying mechanism involved.