Children born to women who have experienced fertility problems are at an increased risk of developing psychiatric disorders compared to children who are naturally conceived, a new study suggests.

Scientists assessed the birth register for children born in Denmark between 1969 and 2006. During this time, over 2.4 million children were born, 5% of whom were born to women with recognised fertility problems.

All of the children were followed up until 2009, to see if they had developed any psychiatric health problems, including schizophrenia, psychosis, anxiety, eating disorders and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).

During the follow-up period, which was around 20 years, over 170,000 children were hospitalised with a psychiatric disorder. However, the scientists found that those who had been born to women with fertility issues had a 33% increased risk of having a psychiatric disorder.

This was described as a modest but statistically significant risk and it was found to persist throughout childhood and early adulthood.

According to the scientists, healthcare professionals who work in this area should be aware of ‘the small but potentially increased risk of psychiatric disorders among the children born to women with fertility problems', although this risk ‘should always be balanced against the physical and psychological benefits of a pregnancy'.

Based on the figures they found, the scientists estimated that almost 2% of all psychiatric disorders in Denmark may be associated with the mother's fertility problems. However, they were unable to determine if this increased risk was due to the mother's fertility problems or the treatment of these problems.

"So the exact mechanisms behind the observed increase in risk are still unknown, but it is generally believed that underlying infertility has a more important role in adverse effects in the offspring than the treatment procedures," commented Dr Allan Jensen of the Danish Cancer Society Research Center at the University of Copenhagen.

While the findings of previous similar studies have been inconsistent, Dr Jensen pointed out that this is the largest study of its kind to date.

"It includes the highest number of children and a long enough follow-up time to adequately assess the risk into adulthood," he added.

Details of these findings were presented at the 30th Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) in Munich, Germany.

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