Children conceived through in vitro fertilization have increased signs of early metabolic syndrome, according to a new study being presented Saturday, June 2, at The Endocrine Society’s 89th Annual Meeting in Toronto.

The metabolic syndrome is a cluster of risk factors that increase the chances of developing heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Features of the metabolic syndrome are high blood pressure, abdominal obesity, high fasting blood sugar levels (indicating pre-diabetes or diabetes), high levels of triglycerides (fat in the blood), and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL, the “good” cholesterol). The presence of at least three of these features constitutes a diagnosis of the metabolic syndrome.

Children born after in vitro fertilization—so-called “test-tube conception”—may be at higher risk of developing the metabolic syndrome for several reasons, said the study’s presenter, Dr. Sophia Sakka, a pediatrics fellow at Athens University Medical School in Greece. Compared with naturally conceived children, they have a considerably higher risk of low birth weight, a risk factor for developing the metabolic syndrome. Also, maternal stress has been linked to a higher risk of the metabolic syndrome in their offspring, and mothers tend to experience stress during a pregnancy conceived through assisted reproduction, she said.

To determine the frequency of the metabolic syndrome in this population, Sakka and co-workers tested 106 children who were born after in vitro fertilization and ranged in age from 4 to 14 years. These children had significantly higher blood pressure and triglycerides than did age-matched children who were conceived naturally.

Increased blood pressure and triglycerides are both early markers of the metabolic syndrome and should raise the suspicion of an early occurrence of the metabolic syndrome in children conceived through in vitro fertilization, Sakka said. However, the higher blood pressure and triglycerides were in the normal range, and the in vitro children did not have a higher frequency of the metabolic syndrome compared with naturally conceived children. Thus, more studies are needed to learn whether the full metabolic syndrome will develop in children born after in vitro fertilization, she stated.

“It is important to know whether there is a tendency toward the metabolic syndrome, so that these children can adopt a healthier lifestyle early in life to minimize their possible risk factors,” said Sakka. She is funded by the Greek State Scholarships Foundation.

Physical activity and weight loss are the best ways to prevent and manage the metabolic syndrome, doctors say.

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