Infertility Drugs Raise Autism Risk?

[Guest guest]

This is not meant to blame parents but truly shows the real battle we are

fighting " The Immune Sysrem "

Elyse

Infertility Drugs Raise Autism Risk?

Infertility Drugs May Be Associated With Child's Risk for Autism, According to

Research; Experts Say Too Early to Tell

By LARA SALAHI

May 21, 2010 —

Children whose mothers took fertility drugs were almost twice as likely to have

autism, according to a new study.

But though the idea of a possible link drew attention among many autism experts,

many warned issues may emerge in the details of the study, which have yet to be

published.

The study, conducted by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and

presented Wednesday at the International Meeting for Autism Research in

Philadelphia, found that autism was nearly twice as common among children of

women who were treated with the ovulation-inducing medicines than women who did

not suffer from infertility.

Researchers asked 111 women taking part in the Nurses' Health Study II who had a

child with an autism spectrum disorder about their history of fertility problems

and use of ovulation-inducing medicines.

About 34 percent of moms with an autistic child had used fertility drugs

compared to about 24 percent of around 3,900 mothers without an autistic child,

according to the research. Nearly 47 percent of moms of autistic kids reported

infertility, compared to about 33 percent of the other mothers. And, according

to the study, the longer women reported being treated for infertility, the

higher the chances were that their child had an autism spectrum disorder.

Although many experts cautioned that the study was based on a questionnaire form

administered to mothers of children with autism, and that the details of the

study have not yet been published, the question about an ostensible link between

infertility drugs and autism interested many autism experts.

" This study adds to a growing body of findings suggesting that reproductive

assistive technologies are associated with increased risk for less optimal

outcomes in babies, " said Geraldine Dawson, chief scientific officer of Autism

Speaks. " The risk, however, is still relatively small and this should be

reassuring to women who are using these drugs. "

Infertility and Autism: What Do We Know?

About 10 percent of women in the United States ages 15 to 44 suffer from

infertility, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And

many of those women choose to undergo various types of infertility treatments

such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) or ovulation inducing medications.

Older women are more likely to have fertility problems and to take

ovulation-inducing drugs, according to past research. And prior research has

shown that older moms are also more likely to have autistic children.

Although researchers took into account women's maternal age, many experts agreed

that other stronger associations among mothers using reproductive assistance

also may have been a contributing factor to why researchers found a higher

number of children with autism.

According to Dr. Max Wiznitzer, a pediatric neurologist at University Hospitals

in Cleveland, while there may exist an association between infertility drugs and

the development of autism, there may be other explanations to consider. Perhaps

factors such as damaged eggs or other environmental causes for infertility could

play a role in the number of autism cases among women treated for their

infertility.

" Whether it is a cumulative exposure to the infertility drugs, or a reflection

of the impact of the cause of the infertility is uncertain, " said Wiznitzer.

While there may be an association between IVF and the development of autism,

research is not clear whether IVF or other fertility inducing medications cause

autism, said Dr. Ernest Krug, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician at

Beaumont Hospitals in Royal Oak, Mich.

" It's good to do these studies, but the problem comes when we try to draw

conclusions too quickly, " said Krug. " I think we just have to be cautious about

telling people that you better not pursue modes of infertility treatments when

we just don't know that. "

In fact, the complexities of finding associations for autism can span from

environmental triggers to numerous identified genes, said Krug. Perhaps

infertility treatment may be added to the list of triggers, although it is still

too early to tell, he said.

" [Autism is] a very complex area, " said Krug. " There needs to be more research

in this area before definite conclusions can be drawn. "

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[Guest guest]

I think this is interesting, but I have to wonder if it's a " which came

first. " .

I used fertility drugs to become pregnant with my twins. I have wondered

frequently if I was having fertility issues because of some of my own

endocrine issues caused by our toxic environment, i.e. exposure to BPA,

mercury (I remember handling and even tasting mercury in science class as a

kid), fertilizers, etc.

For me, this study would have been helpful if it had looked at women who had

fertility issues that DID NOT use fertility drugs to get pregnant to

determine how many actually ended up with a child(ren) on the spectrum.

Kristy Nardini

TazziniTM Stainless Steel Bottles

<http://www.tazzini.com/> http://www.tazzini.com

kristy@...

Phone: 858.243.1929

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P Please consider the environment before printing this email.

From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of ElyseG

Sent: Saturday, May 22, 2010 3:11 PM

Subject: Infertility Drugs Raise Autism Risk?

This is not meant to blame parents but truly shows the real battle we are

fighting " The Immune Sysrem "

Elyse

Infertility Drugs Raise Autism Risk?

Infertility Drugs May Be Associated With Child's Risk for Autism, According

to Research; Experts Say Too Early to Tell

By LARA SALAHI

May 21, 2010 -

Children whose mothers took fertility drugs were almost twice as likely to

have autism, according to a new study.

But though the idea of a possible link drew attention among many autism

experts, many warned issues may emerge in the details of the study, which

have yet to be published.

The study, conducted by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health

and presented Wednesday at the International Meeting for Autism Research in

Philadelphia, found that autism was nearly twice as common among children of

women who were treated with the ovulation-inducing medicines than women who

did not suffer from infertility.

Researchers asked 111 women taking part in the Nurses' Health Study II who

had a child with an autism spectrum disorder about their history of

fertility problems and use of ovulation-inducing medicines.

About 34 percent of moms with an autistic child had used fertility drugs

compared to about 24 percent of around 3,900 mothers without an autistic

child, according to the research. Nearly 47 percent of moms of autistic kids

reported infertility, compared to about 33 percent of the other mothers.

And, according to the study, the longer women reported being treated for

infertility, the higher the chances were that their child had an autism

spectrum disorder.

Although many experts cautioned that the study was based on a questionnaire

form administered to mothers of children with autism, and that the details

of the study have not yet been published, the question about an ostensible

link between infertility drugs and autism interested many autism experts.

" This study adds to a growing body of findings suggesting that reproductive

assistive technologies are associated with increased risk for less optimal

outcomes in babies, " said Geraldine Dawson, chief scientific officer of

Autism Speaks. " The risk, however, is still relatively small and this should

be reassuring to women who are using these drugs. "

Infertility and Autism: What Do We Know?

About 10 percent of women in the United States ages 15 to 44 suffer from

infertility, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And many of those women choose to undergo various types of infertility

treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) or ovulation inducing

medications.

Older women are more likely to have fertility problems and to take

ovulation-inducing drugs, according to past research. And prior research has

shown that older moms are also more likely to have autistic children.

Although researchers took into account women's maternal age, many experts

agreed that other stronger associations among mothers using reproductive

assistance also may have been a contributing factor to why researchers found

a higher number of children with autism.

According to Dr. Max Wiznitzer, a pediatric neurologist at University

Hospitals in Cleveland, while there may exist an association between

infertility drugs and the development of autism, there may be other

explanations to consider. Perhaps factors such as damaged eggs or other

environmental causes for infertility could play a role in the number of

autism cases among women treated for their infertility.

" Whether it is a cumulative exposure to the infertility drugs, or a

reflection of the impact of the cause of the infertility is uncertain, " said

Wiznitzer.

While there may be an association between IVF and the development of autism,

research is not clear whether IVF or other fertility inducing medications

cause autism, said Dr. Ernest Krug, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician

at Beaumont Hospitals in Royal Oak, Mich.

" It's good to do these studies, but the problem comes when we try to draw

conclusions too quickly, " said Krug. " I think we just have to be cautious

about telling people that you better not pursue modes of infertility

treatments when we just don't know that. "

In fact, the complexities of finding associations for autism can span from

environmental triggers to numerous identified genes, said Krug. Perhaps

infertility treatment may be added to the list of triggers, although it is

still too early to tell, he said.

" [Autism is] a very complex area, " said Krug. " There needs to be more

research in this area before definite conclusions can be drawn. "

Copyright C 2010 ABC News Internet Ventures