From the moment a woman realizes she is pregnant, she is overwhelmed with worries about the health of her future child. These worries are only compounded when the woman in question has had a difficult time becoming pregnant. Those women who have undergone infertility treatment in order to conceive have perhaps the most difficult task ahead of them as they await the delivery of their child—a wait that is made only more difficult by the belief that many people have that infertility treatments cause birth defects and birth complications at a higher rate than among women who conceived naturally.

It certainly raises a lot of questions. If it were true that births after infertility treatment produced higher rates of birth defects, it would also raise quite the moral dilemma. Do doctors and potential parents have the right to produce children that may suffer health problems and defects? Infertility treatments have been the subject of much debate since the first test-tube baby was born, and many people are still uncomfortable with the idea. However, for millions of parents who would have been unable to conceive, IVF is a blessing. It’s my opinion that everybody has the right to become a parent, and thought it is wonderful that many parents can conceive naturally, it is also wonderful that there is an option for parents who face more difficulty in having children.

Thankfully, studies have shown that the worries people have about children produced through IVF may be unfounded. The rate of birth defects in children born through IVF are no higher than the rates among children born through natural conception once parental factors have been taken into account. People who are still worried about the health “risks” of IVF for children in this day and age need to learn to trust the research rather than the propaganda, and they need to stop spreading misinformation that might lead parents who turn to treatment to conceive to feel guilty about their decision.

– Yvonne S. Thornton, M. D., M. P. H.