Fertility treatments may up autism risk in children

Aug 8th, 2018 Sandisiwe Ntlemeza 1171 Views

Be cautious while planning fertility treatment as it may increase the risk of autism in your child, a new study has found.

The researchers found that the odds of having a child on the autistic spectrum for those who underwent fertility treatments were 1.5 times higher than those who opted out of it, in the case of progesterone hormone therapy.

Progesterone is an embryonic steroid hormone needed for brain development. There is a hypothesis that it activates a genetic mechanism for the development of autism, Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.