Nearly 1 in 50 children in the UK are born to parents who have benefited from fertility treatments and this number is increasing every year. Professor Alastair Sutcliffe, the principal investigator of this project, is a Paediatrician who has studied children born after assisted reproductive therapy (ART) and their families for over 25 years, and over this time he has developed insights into the concerns that these families have. One major concern for parents is whether their children are at higher risk of developing learning or behavioural problems or not achieving their educational potential.

This question has not been adequately answered because existing studies have been small and have not included adequate comparison groups. We propose to address this question by analysing data from two large research databases, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) Register and the National Pupil Database (NPD). We will compare educational and behavioural outcomes in children born following ART with two comparison groups of naturally conceived children.