Can we sense ART? The blinded examiner is not blind-a problem with follow-up studies on children born after assisted reproduction.
In a prospective, controlled, blinded follow-up study of children born after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), blinded examiners correctly intuited the mode of conception (ICSI versus spontaneous) in three out of four children, which must be considered when interpreting outcome data for children born after assisted reproduction.
Ludwig
Annika K
AK
Zentrum für Hormon und Stoffwechselerkrankungen, Reproduktionsmedizin und Pränatale Medizin, Endokrinologikum Hamburg, Germany. Electronic address: annika.ludwig@endokinologikum.com.
Katalinic
Alexander
A
Institute of Cancer Epidemiology and Institute of Social Medicine, Medical University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
Entenmann
Andreas
A
Department of Paediatrics, University of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel, Germany.
Thyen
Ute
U
Department of Paediatrics, University of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
Sutcliffe
Alastair G
AG
Paediatrics and Child Health, Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
Diedrich
Klaus
K
Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, University of Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
Ludwig
M
M
Zentrum für Hormon und Stoffwechselerkrankungen, Reproduktionsmedizin und Pränatale Medizin, Endokrinologikum Hamburg, Germany.
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005306:Fertilization; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D027724:Reproductive Techniques, Assisted / Q000523:psychology*; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic