Neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants with very low birth weight conceived with the assistance of in vitro fertilization

Abstract

© 2022 The AuthorsObjective: To compare the neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18–24 months of corrected age between preterm (<32 weeks of gestational age) infants with very low birth weight (VLBW) conceived with and without the assistance of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Not applicable. Patient(s): In total, 4,940 infants with VLBW were born before 32 weeks of gestational age from January 2013 to December 2015. Intervention(s): In vitro fertilization. Main Outcome Measure(s): Neuromotor or sensory disability (primary outcome) and developmental delay assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (secondary outcome) at 18–24 months of corrected age. Result(s): Of the 4,940 infants with VLBW enrolled, 2,818 surviving infants who were followed up for neurodevelopmental assessment at 18–24 months of corrected age were included in the study. Of these 2,818 infants, 630 (22.4%) were conceived with the assistance of IVF, and 2,188 (77.6%) were not. After adjustment for potential confounders, no statistically significant differences were found in the rate of neuromotor or sensory disability at 18–24 months of corrected age between infants conceived with and without the assistance of IVF. After excluding infants with neuromotor or sensory disability, the rate of developmental delay was also comparable between those conceived with and without the assistance of IVF. Conclusion(s): This study showed comparable neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18–24 months of corrected age between preterm infants with VLBW conceived with and without the assistance of IVF.