Using birth certificates to find children conceived with infertility treatment

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Although prior research is suggestive that ART therapies and/or ovulation inducing drugs are associated with an increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes, the available evidence is inconclusive. The insufficiency stems in part from the limited sample sizes available to individual authors. The ability to do population-based research of adequate size is impaired by the absence of a suitable registry or sampling framework for study in the United States. We used data from the Massachusetts birth certificate to assess the feasibility of using birth certificates as a sampling frame for identifying children born with the help of fertility treatment. Of the 2,493 birth certificates that were sampled, 584 mothers were located and agreed to participate. There were virtually no differences in demographic or birth characteristics by participation status. Analyses related to the primary objectives are currently underway.