‘Test-Tube’ Children Grow Faster

Children born through in vitro fertilization (IVF) physically grow faster than their peers do. This was the conclusion made by specialists from the University of Auckland in New Zealand.

They claim that IVF children are taller than kids conceived naturally. The researchers analyzed the height of nearly 200 children to come to this conclusion. As a result, it was discovered that the height of children born through IVF at the age of six was higher than that of similar children born naturally. The difference was an average of 2.6 centimeters.

The New Zealand researchers tried to understand the cause of such a difference in the height of children. Their version – medications taken by women to stimulate ovulation during in vitro fertilization are responsible for this.

It is also quite possible that the culture medium in which embryos are placed before implanting them into the uterus is responsible for the high growth. These factors can alter the hormonal profile of children conceived through IVF procedure. In the end, it leads to a more intense physical development of children.

Source of the image: Scientificamerican.