Health of Human and Livestock Conceived by Assisted Reproduction

Abstract

Assisted reproduction is used to resolve infertility problems in human and in breeding programs to generate livestock. Except for gestation length and birth weight, perinatal outcome of children conceived by In Vitro Fertilization is similar to that of spontaneously conceived children. However, large offspring syndrome observed after In Vitro Production in livestock is quite alarming. The distinct parts of assisted reproduction (oocyte maturation, fertilization and culture) have been found to contribute to abnormal fetal growth and development. Genomic imprinting is suggested to be involved in the induction of the aberrant phenotypes observed after assisted reproduction. Furthermore, current knowledge on postnatal health of offspring conceived by assisted reproduction and speculations on potential longterm effects of In Vitro Fertilization will be described.