Health and development of children born after oocyte donation compared with that of those born after in-vitro fertilization, and parents' attitudes regarding secrecy

The health, growth and development of a cohort of children (n = 59) aged 6months to 4 years and born after oocyte donation (OD) was compared withthat from a group of children born after in-vitro fertilization (IVF) (n =126). The study was performed by questionnaire, and the response rate was100% in the OD group and 95% in the IVF group. All OD children werehealthy. Three IVF children had a neurological disorder. Surgicalintervention had been carried out in 8% of the OD and 13% of the IVFchildren. Height and weight development were normal, and eating andsleeping disorders were uncommon in both groups of children. The IVFmothers more often expressed concern about the child's behaviour than didthe OD mothers. Thirty-eight percent of the OD parents and 60% of the IVFparents intended to tell the child about the nature of its conception (P< 0.01). Although oocyte recipients appear to have more complicationsduring their pregnancies than conventional IVF patients, the general healthstatus of OD children aged <5 years is at least as good as that of IVFchildren. Growth and development in both groups of children is similar tothat of the general population.