The impact of assisted reproductive technologies on ADHD: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The escalating utilization of assisted reproductive technology (ART) in response to global infertility rates has spurred research into its complications. Short-term and long-term outcomes have been extensively studied, particularly the neurological concerns surrounding attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among ART-conceived children. This study aims investigate the association between ART and ADHD. Medline, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched through April 4, 2023. Cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies were eligible for inclusion. primary summary measures included the unadjusted relative risk (RR) and adjusted hazard ratio (HR) with 95 % confidence intervals. Both fixed-effects and random-effects models were utilized for meta-analysis data pooling to determine the overall effect size. The onset of ADHD in children conceived through ART compared to those conceived naturally. The systematic search yielded 8 studies with 10,176,148 individuals included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis revealed a pooled RR of 0.93 (0.68–1.26) for cohort studies and a pooled RR of 0.97 (0.41–2.29) for cross-sectional studies, along with a pooled HR of 1.08 (1.03–1.13) for ADHD in the ART group compared to the non-ART group. While this study identifies some potential association between ART and ADHD, the limited effect size and inherent heterogeneity underscore the need for cautious interpretation. •Meta-analysis encompasses 8 studies, 10,176,148 individuals.•Pooled relative risk shows no significance, but shows significant in males•Pooled hazard ratio reveals significant results, particularly in females.•Caution urged due to study limitations and outcome heterogeneity.