A French scientist has revealed in a recent study that babies born to mothers consuming fertility drugs to get pregnant are likely to increase the risk of developing leukaemia.
The research has found that children born to the mothers taking ovary-stimulating drugs were having 2.6 times more likely to become affected with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), which is the most common type of leukaemia during childhood.
In addition to that, the risk of suffering from acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), a are form of leukemia also increases by 2.3 times.
Children who were conceived normally after their mothers waited more than a year for pregnancy had a 50 per cent more-than-normal likelihood of developing acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).
Moreover, no such risk are associated with either in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) or artificial insemination, reported the Daily Mail.
However, the researchers had not yet fully explain their findings, the first to show a particular link between the use of fertility drugs and childhood leukaemia.
"It has always been hypothesised that assisted reproductive technologies may be involved in the onset of childhood cancer as they involve repeated treatment at the time of conception and or manipulation of the sperm and egg. And it is now established that a majority of acute leukaemia have a pre-natal (pre-birth) origin," said study leader Dr Jeremie Rudant, from the Centre for Research in Epidemiology and Population Health at the French research institute INSERM in Villejuif, Paris.
"The findings indicate that more research is now needed to investigate more closely the link between specific types of fertility drugs and what role the underlying causes of infertility may play in the potential development of childhood leukaemia," Dr Rudant noted.
During the entire study, a total of 2,445 French children and their mothers were observed that included, 764 children who were diagnosed with leukaemia and 1,681 who had no sign of the disease.
The mothers were asked whether they had taken more than a year to conceive a child, and the questions were based on the treatments they had received.
Use of fertility technology is increasing throughout the world with time.
In spite of alarming increase in the risk, the actual number of children developing the disease after their mothers undergoing fertility treatment remains few.
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) can affect the children of any age but is most common to the children aged between one and four. The chances of occurance is more in case of boys than girls.
"Previous studies have suggested a link between infertility treatments and acute childhood leukaemia but there haven't been many studies, most of them have been small and they focused either on IVF or hormonal treatment. Our study was much larger and it's the first time that a specific increased risk linked to fertility drugs has been found," Dr Rudant added.
The results of the study were presented at the Childhood Cancer 2012 conference in London, hosted by the charity Children with Cancer UK.
-With inputs from ANI.
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