Infertility and PDD/Aspergers
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Infertility and PDD/Aspergers
| Sat, 03-05-2005 - 10:55pm |
I was curious if anyone else had infertility issues before getting pregnant with their PDD/Aspergers child? Chase is an IVF baby and we've always wondered if there might be a connection to the rise in autism and the increase in infertility treatments. I lean heavily towards genetics being the leading factor but I find it surprising that "they" don't do much follow-up on IVF babies in regards to developmental conditions. Just wondering...Vicky

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Hi Vicky,
I know there is at least unofficially some idea that infertility treatment can lead to some issues. I have a friend who is a speech therapist and she wouldn't do anything artificial b/c so many of her clients had issues. She said she wasn't allowed to ask about conception but often the parents would volunteer "And we tried to hard to have him...."etc" DS's special ed teacher told me the other day (we were grabbing lunch) that she had undergone infertility w/ the knowledge that it would increase the odds of having a special ed child (and she was OK with that).
That said, I didn't use any infertility at all, DS was 9.5 pounds @ birth and here I am!
Cathy
No infertility here. Got DH fixed after #4 cause he definitely didnt want more and I never wanted to be pregnant again.
I also read everything and was real careful when pregnant but still there were things that are in question. Rhogam shots, etc. They had thier first immunization in the hospital. As an infant and toddler Cait had a million ear infections and concurrent antibiotics, mike had almost no ear infections.
Basically, the biggest problem causing my kids troubles is the fact of who I fell for and married and who he fell for and married. There is genetic history on both sides of our family.
Current theory is that some children are genetically predisposed to autism spectrum disorders then some sort of environmental insult kind of seals the deal. Thing is, I think to negate all environmental factors you'd have to place the child in a bubble and even doing that would set up a different environmental factor.
Someday the geneticists will figure this all out.
Renee
Good question! Cassian was conceived on the first try. No fertility drugs here, but DH and I are both pretty nerdy, and I suspect DH's brother has an ASD w/ a developmental delay. MIL also has very bad dyslexia and probably ADD, and their are quite a few people on both sides, who have depression. In our case, I'm leaning toward a genetic cause. However, Cassian was also an emergency C-section, and we did not delay immunizations. We are also undergoing allergy testing in the next few mos, so that could add to our causes.
Suzi
Both my kids are Clomid Kids, and Nathan had a lot of physical stress on him from the time he was 12 hrs till ove a week old due to a mistake by a Dr and resulting actions.
I've never considered that infertility caused Aspergers and quite honestly I would never feel guilty if I thought it had. We make the best decisions we can in our lives based on where we are and what we know. If I hadn't undergone IVF we wouldn't have Chase and that would be more devasting than any diagnosis. I just wonder maybe if it stresses the embryo and then, like I think Renee said,some damage is done. BTW, I became pregnant with my second child when Chase was 4months and conceived a third completly naturally again three years later. Also, Chase had a punctured lung at birth and was put on some sort of machine but it healed itself rather quickly. The neuropsych knew that but in light of my family history of ADHD and the like he ruled it out as a contributing factor.
Vicky
Vicky,
I did have fertility issues, but did not have IVF. I had 4 MCs before getting pg w/ ds Jack. I was also treated for endometriosis just before getting pg w/ him - which included surgery and treatment w/ a drug similar to depo provera, which basically induced a "medical menopause". After that I got pg & carried to term before ever getting my first period (it was about 4 mos after my surgery). I did have some complications such as preeclampsia at the very end. I conceived my 2nd ds w/out any issues at all & that pg went much smoother, maybe b/c my anxiety was so much less than w/ Jack. My 2nd ds seems to be NT - I sometimes wonder if my acute anxiety during Jack's pg had anything to do w/ his problems...
Endometriosis is considered to be an immune related disorder & I believe the treatment was what enabled me to carry to term. My son's geneticist has advised me to not have any more children - part of it is b/c of all the MCs, which I think he feels is related somehow to Jack's problems. Basically, I think I have bad genes & autoimmune problems that may have contributed to my fertility problems - especially since my sister's daughter is affected w/ the same medical history as Jack. And I think it's interesting that one theory w/ ASDs is that it's somehow immune related.
Anyway, that's my - abbreviated - story!
-Fran
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