Children whose mothers took fertility drugs were almost twice as likely to have autism as other children, says a new study.
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, reports Xinhua news agency.
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.
For the study, the researchers, from the University of Haifa in Israel, included 108,548 boys — as boys have a higher risk of developing autism than girls.
The researchers also found that progesterone delivery before pregnancy may affect critical stages in fetal brain development.
In recent years, efforts have been made to identify the environmental factors that influence the development of autism. One of the directions that have not been thoroughly tested is the effect of fertility treatments, the report said.
Today there is a scientific and medical controversy. Some studies have found that there is no connection between fertility treatments and autism, especially IVF (In vitro fertilization) treatments. Other studies have linked to individual hormones and autism, the report added.
Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, is a condition related to brain development that impacts how a person perceives and socialises with others, causing problems in social interaction and communication.