Abstract:

Whether the artificial intervention of assisted reproductive technology（ART） in the early life will bring potential risks to the long-term health and safety of the offspring has always been a key issue of human health. This article reviews the key points of ART, such as artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer and its derivative technology, and summarizes and analyzes the safety of offspring from the aspects of adverse pregnancy outcomes, birth defects, long-term health problems, and genetic imprinting abnormalities. Most studies support the safety of ART and believe that children born by ART do not increase the incidence of adverse events. However, since most research data focus on infants and young children, it is still necessary to conduct the long-term health follow-up of children born by ART to obtain health data in adolescents and adulthood, and to further demonstrate the safety of children born by ART.

Key words: Reproductive techniques, assisted, Fertilization in vitro, Embryo transfer, Mitochondrial replacement technique, Safety, Congenital abnormalities