In this episode of Healthy As A Mother, Leah and Morgan unpack one of the biggest fears many women have when considering IVF: Are IVF babies less healthy? They explore what the research actually shows around premature birth, low birth weight, NICU admissions, congenital heart defects, allergies, eczema, asthma, and autism.
More importantly, they ask whether those outcomes can truly be attributed to IVF itself. They discuss the many variables that can complicate the research, including the underlying causes of infertility, parental age, sperm and egg health, metabolic and autoimmune conditions, pregnancy complications, and the amount of medical intervention surrounding IVF. They also cover epigenetics, microbiome health, induction and C-sections, baby aspirin, pregnancy monitoring, and why optimizing both parents' health before IVF may matter.
Ultimately, this is a conversation about moving beyond fear and black-and-white thinking to look at IVF with more nuance, critical thinking, and hope. The hosts also share their personal experiences with IVF and why they believe it can be an important tool when it is truly needed, while still questioning how intentionally it is used.
00:00 – Trailer & Introduction
03:45 – Are IVF Babies Less Healthy?
05:34 – The Fear of IVF and Baby Health
07:05 – What the Research Actually Shows
09:26 – Relative Risk vs. Absolute Risk
10:33 – Is IVF Really the Cause?
10:59 – The Underlying Causes of Infertility
14:32 – Sperm Health, Egg Selection & Epigenetics
17:47 – Could IVF Itself Affect Health?
20:09 – Does IVF Bypass Natural Selection?
22:29 – How Parental Health Can Affect the Baby
25:27 – Are We Too Far Outside of Nature?
27:21 – IVF, Autism & What the Research Can't Tease Apart
31:17 – The Problem With How We Study IVF
35:09 – Could AI Change Medical Research?
37:14 – Why Patterns and Clinical Experience Matter
40:00 – The Absence of Evidence Is Not Evidence of Absence
41:55 – How to Think Critically About Research
42:53 – IVF and Congenital Heart Defects
43:45 – IVF, Allergies, Eczema & the Microbiome
46:04 – Pregnancy Monitoring After IVF
47:19 – Do IVF Patients Need Baby Aspirin?
48:46 – The Problem With Too Much Intervention
51:28 – IVF, Induction & C-Sections
54:27 – Could Birth Interventions Affect Baby Health?
56:10 – Are IVF Babies Actually Different?
57:19 – IVF as a Tool, Not a Failure
58:46 – How to Optimize Health Before IVF
59:59 – Using IVF Intentionally
62:00 – Finding Your Own “Edge” Around IVF
64:03 – Your IVF Decisions Are Yours
65:11 – A Message of Hope
Resources From This Episode:
Healthy As A Mother Podcast | YouTube
Healthy As A Mother Podcast | Instagram
Healthy As A Mother Podcast | TikTok
Healthy As A Mother Podcast | Merch Store
Find more from Dr. Leah:
Dr. Leah Gordon | Instagram
Dr. Leah Gordon | Website
Womanhood Wellness | Website
Find more from Dr. Morgan:
Dr. Morgan MacDermott | Instagram
Dr. Morgan MacDermott | Website
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