14 DAY TRIAL // Couples who experience problems when conceiving a baby are about 3 times more likely to have an autistic baby, according to a recent study carried out by researchers at the University of California. The team involved in the study explained that offsprings of couples who do not succeed in conceiving in the first place suffer from health problems which may influence the unborn infant.
However, these infertility problems should not stand in the way of couples who want to have an offspring, as the risks are not that high after all if taken care of before trying for a baby again. This is why medical experts advice couples who experience infertility problems to try treating their health disorders before resorting to methods to improve their fertility.
Leader of the research, Professor Mary Croughan, explained that people who have problems when it comes to having a baby should take care about their own health disorders in the first instance. This is absolutely necessary, as health problems are easily transmitted from parent to offspring and this is the leading reason why so many infants are born nowadays with severe conditions such as autism, cerebral palsy etc. Adults should try to treat their health disorders and only afterwards think about offsprings, medical experts warn. "What has caused them to be unable to conceive goes on to cause problems. It is as if a brick wall has stopped you becoming pregnant. Treatment allows you to climb over the wall, but it is still there and it goes on to cause problems," stated Prof. Mary Croughan who led the University of California study.
The study was conducted on 4,000 women and their offsprings who were no older than 6 years of age. Overall results showed that children born to 2,000 female subjects who experienced fertility problems before conceiving were about 2.7 times more likely to develop cerebral palsy, seizures, mental retardation, autism or cancer. These risks were measured in comparison with those of children of the other 2,000 female volunteers in the study, who succeeded in conceiving the baby in the first attempt.
Commenting on the findings of the current research, Stuart Lavery, a spokesman for the British Fertility Society questioned the validity of the results and stated: "There is no doubt that people who have difficulties with their fertility have difficulties conceiving and carrying pregnancies, although it has not been shown that it is the infertility that is causing the problems."