As ivf becomes more common, some concerns remain

Access through your institution Buy or subscribe Assisted reproduction includes a handful of procedures, many of which are based on _in vitro_ fertilization (IVF) of the egg. In the US

alone, assisted reproduction accounted for slightly more than 1% of all births in 2005, according to the country's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The IVF process poses some

minor risks to women, including ovarian cysts, mood changes and hot flashes. But a few rare risks to the fetus have given some fertility researchers pause. Tinkering with sex cells and

embryos outside the body, scientists worry, might spur genetic changes that manifest as congenital birth defects. No direct evidence supports that notion, but epidemiological studies have

shored up possible links between assisted reproduction and rare genetic syndromes in newborns, such as Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, a condition marked by premature birth, an enlarged tongue

and heightened susceptibility to tumors, respiratory and speech defects (_Hum. Reprod. Update_ 10, 3–18; 2004). This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution ACCESS

OPTIONS Access through your institution Subscribe to this journal Receive 12 print issues and online access $209.00 per year only $17.42 per issue Learn more Buy this article * Purchase on

SpringerLink * Instant access to full article PDF Buy now Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout ADDITIONAL ACCESS OPTIONS: * Log in * Learn about

institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer support AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Chapel Hill, North Carolina Prashant Nair Authors * Prashant Nair View

author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Nair, P. As IVF becomes

more common, some concerns remain. _Nat Med_ 14, 1171 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1108-1171 Download citation * Issue Date: November 2008 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1108-1171

SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Get shareable link Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Copy to

clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative