News

By Terry Vanderheyden

TRONDHEIM, Norway, May 25, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Norwegian research has found that pregnancies resulting from implantation of artificially-created embryos carry at least five times the risk for a dangerous complication of pregnancy known as placenta praevia.

Placenta praevia is a complication where the placenta attaches over the mother’s cervix, impairing the child’s likelihood of a natural birth, and raising the risk for bleeding in pregnancy, miscarriage, and premature delivery.

A team of researchers from St Olav’s University Hospital in Trondheim, Norway, examined records from over 845,000 pregnancies, revealing that there were 3 instances of the disorder per 1,000 pregnancies in children conceived naturally compared to 16 per 1,000 in IVF conceived kids. The rates were adjusted for the age of the mother and number of previous pregnancies, among other factors.

Lead researcher, Dr. Liv Bente Romundstad, said that their finding “suggests that a substantial proportion of the extra risk may be attributable directly to factors relating to the reproduction technology,” according to a BBC report. The group speculated that IVF embryos were more likely to implant lower in the uterine wall than babies conceived naturally.

The findings come on the heels of a condemnation by Pope Benedict XVI against artificial methods of procreation last week. He emphasized that Christian families must bear witness that procreation is the fruit of love. He reminded that “human procreation must always be the fruit of a conjugal act with its dual unitive and procreative significance.”

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
  Pope Speaks Out Against IVF Stressing Natural Procreation
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/may/06051701.html
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  Read former LifeSiteNews.com coverage regarding genetic disorders related to IVF:
https://www.lifesitenews.com/features/invitro/