Cohort study of birth outcomes and early neurobehavioral developmentin twins conceived via assisted reproductive technology

XU Yuhong; GAO Xueting; ZHANG Huiping; BAI Feng; WANG Duan; HE Yuying; BU Jingyu; ZHANG Yi; CHEN Yanni

doi:10.11852/zgetbjzz2024-1446

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Chinese Journal of Child Health Care ›› 2025, Vol. 33 ›› Issue (12) : 1381-1385. DOI: 10.11852/zgetbjzz2024-1446

Cohort study of birth outcomes and early neurobehavioral developmentin twins conceived via assisted reproductive technology

XU Yuhong^1*, GAO Xueting^2*, ZHANG Huiping³, BAI Feng², WANG Duan³, HE Yuying⁴,BU Jingyu^5,6, ZHANG Yi¹, CHEN Yanni³

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Abstract

Objective To compare birth outcomes and early neurobehavioral development between preterm twins conceived via assisted reproductive technology (ART) and those conceived naturally, in order to provide evidence-based recommendations for the health management of in vitro fertilization (IVF) infants. Methods This retrospective cohort study included 147 twin pairs (n=294) of preterm infants who underwent regular health examinations at the Child Health Clinic of Xi′an Children′s Hospital between January 2017 and January 2022.Participants were divided into two groups: 78 ART-conceived twin pairs (observation group, n=156) and 69 naturally conceived twin pairs (control group, n=138).Data on maternal gestational complications and neonatal clinical conditions were collected.Neurodevelopmental outcomes were assessed using the Gesell Developmental Schedules (GDS) at corrected ages of 6 and 12 months. Results No significant differences were observed in the incidence of maternal gestational complications between the two groups (P>0.05).The observation group exhibited a higher prevalence of congenital heart disease (CHD) compared to the control group (χ²=12.05, P < 0.05).However, no significant differences were found in GDS scores at 6 or 12 months of corrected age (P>0.05). Conclusions ART-conceived preterm twins have an increased risk of common CHD, but no cases of severe or complex CHD are identified.Early neurobehavioral development do not differ significantly between ART and naturally conceived preterm twins, suggesting that ART does not elevate the risk of neurodevelopmental abnormalities in this population.

Key words

assisted reproductive technology / twin premature infants / birth outcome / neurobehavioral development

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XU Yuhong, GAO Xueting, ZHANG Huiping, BAI Feng, WANG Duan, HE Yuying, BU Jingyu, ZHANG Yi, CHEN Yanni. Cohort study of birth outcomes and early neurobehavioral developmentin twins conceived via assisted reproductive technology[J]. Chinese Journal of Child Health Care. 2025, 33(12): 1381-1385 https://doi.org/10.11852/zgetbjzz2024-1446

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