Drawbacks of assisted reproductive technology in the off-springs: Retinoblastoma, Beckwith-Wiedemann, and Angelman syndromes

Epidemiological data suggest that assisted reproductive techniques may favor imprinting alterations at the chromosomal level. The possible causal correlation between these adverse outcomes and assisted reproductive technologies is unclear, yet the association between them suggests that assisted reproductive techniques may either contribute or perpetuate these changes. Limited reports suggest that in the neonates generated by assisted reproductive techniques, who comprise about 1% of all the births, the relative risk for Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome is raised 3-6-fold. Over-representation of Angelman syndrome imprinting defects among children conceived by intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection could strengthen the causal connection between intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection and imprinting defects leading to Angelman syndrome. A relative risk of 4.9-7.2 was reported for retinoblastoma in children born after in-vitro fertilization. Therefore, an increased awareness and a multidisciplinary approach with a closer follow-up of children conceived by assisted reproductive technologies is recommended.