In vitro babies: Risk of high blood pressure in later life?
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A small study found that babies conceived using assisted reproductive technology (ART) may be more likely to have high blood pressure as teenagers than those conceived naturally.
Close to 2% of babies born in the United States are conceived using ART, most commonly by in vitro fertilization, in which sperm and egg are mixed in a lab dish. In 2012, researchers found that healthy kids born via ART were more likely than their peers to have signs of premature aging of their blood vessels.
For the current study, they compared 54 of the original ART-conceived kids (who were 16 years old, on average) with 43 age- and sex- matched kids who were conceived naturally. The teens in the ART group had higher blood pressure values over all, and eight had readings of 130/80 mm Hg (considered high blood pressure in this study) compared with just one of the teens in the other group.
The findings warrant further research but suggest that people conceived by ART should be extra vigilant about getting regular blood pressure screenings, according to an editorial accompanying the study, which was published in the September Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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