# Developmental Epidemiological Study of Children born through Reproductive Technology (DESCRT)

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2020 · $647,560

## Abstract

The number of pregnancies conceived with assisted reproductive technology (ART) has dramatically increased
over the last 30 years. Additionally, techniques developed for in vitro fertilization (IVF) are now utilized without
in vitro culture. These widely-used non-IVF fertility treatments (NIFT) have increased the number of children
potentially at risk for adverse health effects. Increased short-term risks for perinatal complications and birth
defects, following ART, are well-known. However, the risk of these adverse outcomes has been difficult to
characterize as studies used different methodologies, varied age of detection, and did not have appropriate
comparison groups. For example, when underlying parental factors and infertility are included in the analyses
of birth defects, the association is substantially weakened or disappears completely. More importantly, while
the long-term health of children born through these technologies is of critical public health interest, and of
personal interest to families, only limited data exist. In order to evaluate the potential risk for long-term health of
children conceived through ART and NIFT, rigorous epidemiological methods, appropriate characterization of
the exposure, standardized collection of outcome data, and appropriate comparison groups are required. We
propose to establish a Developmental Epidemiological Study of Children born through Reproductive
Technology (DESCRT) by linking the electronic medical records (EMR) of patients treated at UCSF with birth
outcomes and health data. In addition, as part of the longitudinal study, children, up to age 13, will be invited
for examination and exploratory aims will investigate underlying mechanisms for increased risk. In particular,
we plan to: 1) Establish an epidemiological cohort and biobank for future studies by searching the EMR from
UCSF for all pregnancies achieved in patients who underwent infertility consult during 2001–2015. Laboratory
and treatment data for eligible women will be linked with the data on the course of pregnancy. Families will be
traced and children invited for screening. Pregnancies achieved during the course of the next 4 years (2016-
2019) will be enrolled prospectively; 2) Examine the effects of parental factors and different reproductive
treatment strategies on childhood metabolic risk by analyzing the correlation between specific fertility
treatments and parental factors, and parameters of glucose/insulin homeostasis and metabolomics in the
offspring; and in an Exploratory Aim: Examine the effects of early uterine environment on the precursors of
metabolic risk in the offspring by evaluating bio-analytes of placental function and investigating uterine vascular
impedance and placental growth and function during prospectively collected pregnancies. Overall impact: The
major strengths of the proposed study are the large population with complete and complex data regarding
exposure risk, the formation of a valuable biobank, and ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9688410
- **Project number:** 5R01HD084380-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** MARCELLE Ivonne CEDARS
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $647,560
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-10 → 2022-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9688410

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9688410, Developmental Epidemiological Study of Children born through Reproductive Technology (DESCRT) (5R01HD084380-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9688410. Licensed CC0.

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