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from the I-know-this-defies-the-law-of-gravity,-but-I-never-studied-law dept.
From New Atlas:
A new study from the Telethon Kids Institute in Australia has revealed a possible association between intellectual disability and some specific forms of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). Experts are urging caution when interpreting these results, as it is unclear exactly what may be causing the increased rates of intellectual disability.
The study tracked over 200,000 live births between 1994 and 2002. A little over one percent of those births were conceived using an ART technique. Overall, the results showed only a small increase in intellectual disability relating to ART (1 in 48 for ART versus 1 in 59 for non-ART). However, a specific technique called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), showed a more significant increase in risk for intellectual disability (1 in 32).
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Saturday November 17 2018, @05:22PM
It would be a much more convincing argument, or possibly much less convincing, if we had an idea of the sample sizes. 1% of 200,000 is 2,000, and if there are several varieties of IVF being tested at the same time, say 10, then the mean sample size for any particular one will be 200. But that's the mean, so sample sizes will probably range for 20 to 800. Those look like pretty small groups to me, even the 800 one. If the study was only designed to study IVF vs. unassisted, then the samples for any particular IVF method are likely to be much too small to rely on. Likely at most they could point to something that needs closer investigation. (And they also would likely not exonerate any particular method. I'd guess that the groups for every, or nearly every, particular IVF method were too small to rely on.)
I expect that even the entire sample is too small to allow a firm interpretation that is wasn't random chance. There are too many other uncontrolled variables, like "What was the cause of choosing IVF in the first place?".
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