Test-Tube Babies May Be Vulnerable to Eye Cancer

Dutch doctors warn that in the third study in 3 months, results suggest that children born as a result of in-vitro fertilization (IVF) face serious health risks.

Researchers say that in less than 16 months, they have detected five cases of retinal tumours among children conceived through IVF. IVF children are 7 times more likely to develop retinoblastoma than their naturally conceived counterparts.

There were no known cases of retinoblastoma among IVF children from 1980 until 1997. However, 1997 to 2001 IVF born- babies has seen a cluster of the disease which begs the question to researchers of the underlying cause. It is hypothesized that the problem may not lie with IVF conception itself but the procedure whereby several fetuses are implanted at the same time in the hope that at least one will attach to the side of the uterus and lead to the development of a baby.

(Source: Amsterdam’s Free University Medical Centre)