Health outcomes in children conceived using Assisted Reproduction Technologies

Project Details

In collaboration with Professor Jane Halliday at MCRI we have a longstanding interest in in the study of birth outcomes following assisted reproduction, and in particular the association between IVF conception and birth defects.  This includes the identification of the association between IVF conception and imprinting disorders and disorders of blastogenesis.  Our current focus is on health outcomes in young adults who were conceived using IVF.

Collaborators

We collaborate with a range of different groups including those from the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, University of Melbourne.  Our principle local collaborators are A/Prof Paul Lockhart, Professor Martin Delatycki and Dr Rick Leventer (Accelerated Gene Identification Program), A/Prof Melanie Bahlo (bioinformatics lead for the AGIP Program), Prof Jane Halliday (IVF studies and epidemiology), Dr David Godler (epigenetics and Fragile X), Prof Katrina Williams (Autism research), Prof Dinah Reddihough (cerebral palsy research), A/Prof Angela Morgan (Genetics of speech and language disorders).

Funding

We are funded through NHMRC and various philanthropic organisations.

Research Outcomes

  • Halliday J, Oke K, Breheny S, Algar E, Amor DJ (2004) Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome an IVF: a case-control study. Am J Hum Genet 75:526-528
  • Amor DJ, Halliday J. (2008) A review of known imprinting syndromes and their association with assisted reproduction technologies (ART). Human Reproduction 23:2826-34.
  • Amor DJ, Xu JX, Halliday JL, Francis I, Healy DL, Breheny S, Baker HWG, Jaques AM (2009). Pregnancies conceived using assisted reproductive technologies (ART) have low levels of pregnancy associated protein-A (PAPP-A) leading to a high rate of false positive results in first trimester screening for Down syndrome. Human Reproduction 24:1330-8
  • Halliday JL, Ukoumunne OC, Baker HW, Breheny S, Jaques AM, Garrett C, Healy D, Amor D (2010) Increased risk of blastogenesis birth defects, arising in the first 4 weeks of pregnancy, after assisted reproductive technologies. Human Reproduction 25:59-65
  • Jaques AM, Amor DJ, Baker HW, Healy DL, Ukoumunne OC, Breheny S, Garrett C, Halliday JL (2010) Adverse obstetric and perinatal outcomes in subfertile women conceiving without assisted reproductive technologies. Fertil Steril 94:2674-9
  • Wilson CL, Fisher, JR, Hammarberg K, Amor DJ, Halliday J.(2011) Looking downstream: a review of the literature on physical and psychosocial health outcomes in adolescents and young adults who were conceived by ART. Hum Reprod 26:1209-19
  • Wilson C, Hammarberg K, Bruinsma F, Berg T, Amor D, Sanson A, Fisher JR, Halliday J. (2013) Health and development of ART conceived young adults: a study protocol for the follow-up of a cohort. Reprod Health 2013 Mar 15;10(1):15
  • Halliday J, Wilson C, Hammarberg K, Doyle LW, Bruinsma F, McLachlan R, McBain J, Berg T, Fisher JR, Amor DJ. (2014) Comparing indicators of health and development of singleton young adults conceived with and without Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). Fertility and Sterility 101:1055-63

Research Group

Murdoch Children’s Research Institute Genetics of Neurodisability



Faculty Research Themes

Child Health

School Research Themes

Child Health in Medicine, Neuroscience & Psychiatry



Key Contact

For further information about this research, please contact the research group leader.

Department / Centre

Paediatrics

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