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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Virginia Miller, DrPH MS MPH, Center for Healthcare Effectiveness Research and Department of OB/GYN, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Room 121 Shiffman Medical Library, 4325 Brush Street, Detroit, MI 48201, 313.993.1332, vmiller@med.wayne.edu and Michael P. Diamond, MD, Department of OB/GYN, Division of Reproductive Endocrimology and Infertility, Wayne State University School of Medicine, 3750 Woodward Ave, Suite 200-D, Detroit, MI 48201.

Infertility is a significant public health problem affecting up to 10% of Americans of reproductive age. Nearly thirty years ago, Louise Brown, the first baby conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF) was born. Since the early 1980s, the use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) has become increasingly common. By 2002, the most recent year for which data are available, 45,751 infants were conceived through ART, representing approximately 1% of all US births. Pregnancies associated with ART are more likely to result in multiple births than spontaneously conceived pregnancies. In 2002, ART accounted for 44% of all triplet or higher order multiples births. Multiple infant births have been associated with significant public health problems such as increased risks for pregnancy complications, premature delivery, low birth weight and long term disability among surviving infants. Healthy People 2010 includes specific target objectives for reducing low birth weight and preterm births. Moreover, recent attention to disparities in fertility services among diverse populations further underscores the public health implications of ART. While the medical literature addresses the neonatal and infant outcomes associated with multiples births following ART, little is known about the longer term outcomes for the multiples, their families and their communities. This presentation will synthesize the existing literature addressing the longer term health and psychosocial outcomes among multiples resulting from ART, as well as the financial and psychosocial implications for parents and siblings. Directions for research addressing the family and public health issues associated with ART will be proposed.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this presentation, the participants will be able

• To discuss the public health issues associated with ART
• To identify the family issues related to multiple births following ART
• To describe a research agenda examining the family and public health issues associated with ART

Keywords: Low Birthweight, Maternal and Child Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No