Lower Birth Defects in Women Over 40 Having IVF

In the October issue of the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology researchers from South Australia reported lower birth defects in women over 40 having IVF. Infertile women aged 40 and over who used IVF to conceive had less than half the rate of birth defects of fertile women of the same age, while younger women appear to be at an elevated risk. Reasons for this phenomenon remain unknown but fewer birth defects for older women having IVF is a welcome finding. Preimplantation Genetic Screening (PGS) such as the Fertility Centers of New England’s “IVF Select,” should further lower the incidence of birth defects by preventing embryos with chromosome abnormalities from being selected for embryo transfer.

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