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ABSTRACT: Study question
Does IVF with or without ICSI (IVF/ICSI) treatment impact the development of embryonic brain structures?Summary answer
Our results show associations between IVF/ICSI treatment, smoking and slightly increased sizes of early human embryonic brain structures.What is known already
The number of IVF/ICSI procedures is increasing worldwide and is associated with higher risks of obstetric and perinatal complications in pregnancies.Study design, size, duration
One hundred seventy-five women with a singleton pregnancy were included in the Rotterdam Periconceptional Cohort (Predict study).Participants/materials, setting, methods
Self-reported questionnaires, verified by a research assistant at enrollment, provided information on periconceptional maternal characteristics and mode of conception. Three-dimensional ultrasound (3D-US) examinations were performed at 9 and 11?weeks of gestational age (GA). Diencephalon total diameter (DTD), mesencephalon total diameter (MTD) and telencephalon thickness on the left and right site (TTL/TTR) were measured offline in standardized planes using 4D View software. Linear regression models with adjustment for GA, maternal age, body mass index, moment of initiation of folic acid supplement use and smoking were used to study associations between mode of conception and embryonic brain measurements at 9 and 11?weeks of GA.Main results and role of chance
A total of 276 3D-US scans of 166 participants, of which 50 conceived through IVF/ICSI, were included for embryonic brain measurements. Success rates of the DTD and MTD measurements were between 67% and 73% and of the TTL/TTR between 52% and 57%. In the fully adjusted model, we found that at 11?weeks of GA, the MTD (ß?=?0.264, 95% CI?=?0.101; 0.427, P?Limitations, reasons for cautionThe implications of these small deviations on brain functioning need further investigation.Wider implications of the findings
Enlargement of attention for prenatal brain development and postnatal neurodevelopmental outcome after IVF/ICSI treatment.Study funding/competing interests
This study was funded by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Erasmus MC, and Sophia research foundation for Medical Research, Rotterdam, the Netherlands (SSWO grant number 644). No competing interests are declared.Trial registration number
N/A.
SUBMITTER: Husen SC
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7891808 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Human reproduction (Oxford, England) 20210201 3
<h4>Study question</h4>Does IVF with or without ICSI (IVF/ICSI) treatment impact the development of embryonic brain structures?<h4>Summary answer</h4>Our results show associations between IVF/ICSI treatment, smoking and slightly increased sizes of early human embryonic brain structures.<h4>What is known already</h4>The number of IVF/ICSI procedures is increasing worldwide and is associated with higher risks of obstetric and perinatal complications in pregnancies.<h4>Study design, size, duration< ...[more]