A recent study conducted by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)’s National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health (NIRRH) in Parel, Mumbai along with the Indian Society for Assisted Reproduction (ISAR) found that three out of four women who get pregnant using assisted reproductive techniques (ART) – earlier known as test tube baby methods – give birth prematurely. The study was conducted in 113 couples in Mumbai. The study also found that 98% of these women had to undergo C-section. Ideally, less than 15% of the deliveries should be performed using C-section.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that 15 million babies are born preterm or before 37 of gestation every year and the numbers seem to be rising. India, it is believed, accounts for 25% of these preterm births. As reported in Times of India, the study’s lead author Dr. Anushree Patil from NIRRH said, “Preterm births are a global health problem…but their incidence is higher in ART pregnancies.” Typically, a couple that has opted for ART would be older than usual parent-to-be as they would have tried conceiving for a few years and might also have other health problems. Dr. Patil said, “Given these circumstances, we decided to do a pilot study to find out how high is the burden of preterm births among couples using ART.”

Most ART pregnancies are precious because the couple has been trying for long. “There is a tendency among Indian doctors to implant multiple embryos,” said Dr. Patil. As a result, the study found that 45% of the couples had twins or triplets. The study’s co-author Dr Ameet Patki, also the ISAR secretary general, said couples seeking IVF should be counselled that they face a higher risk of preterm births. The parents should also be counselled about the costs. ART treatment runs into lakhs. And with the rates being high of premature births, parents must be informed to keep a few more lakhs aside as the premature babies may need NICU that could cost over Rs 3 lakhs or more for a couple of months.

The study concluded that with the growing use of ART, there is an urgent need to develop a National ART Surveillance System in India like the one in Centre for Disease Control, Atlanta, to get complete data on the pregnancy course and outcomes of ART conceptions.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 22, 2018 09:25 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).