Medical and Social Problems of Assisted Reproductive Technologies from the Perspective of Pediatrics

Abstract The article presents a literature review over the last few years devoted to the health status and development peculiarities of children born using assisted reproductive technologies (ART) procedures. The statistics shows an explosive increase in the frequency of ART application as a fertility treatment method. The presented data analysis reflects the perinatal outcomes after ART in children, the frequency of congenital malformations and genetic diseases in this population, possible long-term malconditions and pathologies in children born using ART. The overwhelming majority of investigators consider the adverse effect of ART on a child's body to be the result of prematurity and multiple pregnancy (transfer multiple embryos followed by partial reduction). It is stated that the widespread introduction of ART may contribute to the vertical transmission of parental infertility factors in the population. The application of ARTprocedures in some cases is associated with controversial ethical and legal issues (surrogacy, oocyte donation). Further improvements in ART procedures (preimplantation training, medical and genetic diagnosis, reducing the frequency of multiple pregnancy) cannot be stated as an alternative to the general medical and social prevention of reproductive disorders in adolescents and youth.