Cerebral palsy and assisted reproductive technologies: a case-control study.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether assisted reproductive technologies (ART) were more likely to be the method of conception in singletons with cerebral palsy (CP) than in those without CP.


METHODS
Singletons with CP born between 1991 and 2004 were selected from the Victorian Cerebral Palsy Register and matched for birth year to two singletons randomly selected from the Victorian Perinatal Data Collection Unit. Data from both sources were linked to records from three ART centres. Conditional logistic regression was used to assess the association between CP and aspects of conception using ART. Multivariate models were adjusted for parity, previous miscarriages, sex, gestational age, birthweight, and weight for gestational age.


RESULTS
We identified 1241 singletons with CP (males n=721 [58%], females n=420 [42/100]; motor type: spastic [87%; unilateral 37%; bilateral 63%], ataxic n=60 [5/100], dyskinetic n=46 [4/100], hypotonic n=29 [2/100], unknown n=25 [2/100]. Gross Motor Function Classification System levels were I n=363 [29/100], II n=297 [24/100], III n=137 [11/100], IV n=160 [13/100], V n=192 [15/100], and unknown n=92 [7/100]). Sixteen (1.3/100) of the children with CP and 25 (1.0/100) of 2482 children without CP were conceived using ART. There was no significant increase in the odds of children with CP being conceived using ART (adjusted odds ratio 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.63, 2.24) nor in the odds of them being conceived by a subfertile couple without ART (adjusted odds ratio 2.7, 95% CI 0.87, 8.36).


CONCLUSIONS
Singleton conception using ART is not strongly associated with an increased risk of CP.
Reid
Susan M
SM
Developmental Disability Research, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. sue.reid@mcri.edu.au
Jaques
Alice M
AM
Susanto
Cynthia
C
Breheny
Susan
S
Reddihough
Dinah S
DS
Halliday
Jane
J
D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D001724:Birth Weight; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D020820:Dyskinesias / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D027724:Reproductive Techniques, Assisted; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index