Children conceived by in vitro fertilization (IVF) are at risk for developing cancer, but the risk is very low. In the study, “Cancer Risk in Children and Young Adults Conceived by In Vitro Fertilization,” published in the August print issue of Pediatrics (published online July 19), study authors followed 26,692 children who were born after IVF during 1982-2005 by using the Swedish Cancer Register.

They compared the number of children who had cancer and were born after IVF to the number of children who were not conceived by IVF, and found 53 cases of cancer born after IVF compared to the expected number of 38 based on the rate among non-IVF children. There was an increased risk for cancer associated with preterm birth before 37 weeks, low birth weight, respiratory problems, and low Apgar score. Maternal age, smoking, previous miscarriages, BMI, and multiple births did not significantly affect the risk of cancer in offspring. Study authors feel that the moderately higher risk of cancer is likely not because of the IVF procedure, but an effect of unidentified characteristics of women who undergo IVF or the increased risks for neonatal complications.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org.