Children conceived through in vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques may have an increased risk for birth defects, which include the formation of the bladder outside the body known as the cloacal-bladder exstrophy-epispadias complex, a preliminary study has found.

But the researchers at Johns Hopkins Children’s in Baltimore, Maryland, indicated their findings are preliminary and should not dissuade future parents from conceiving children with the aid of IVF.

“What we are seeing now is simply an association between this group of birth defects and IVF births,” said the study’s lead investigator Dr. John P. Gearhart in a prepared statement.

“Further research is needed to verify these findings and understand this association. These defects are extremely rare, and our preliminary findings should not alone discourage couples from undergoing IVF,” he added.

According to the study, which appears in the April issue of the Journal of Urology, bladder exstrophy — the most common defect in the complex, which includes abnormalities involving the bladder, pelvic bones, urethra and genitals — occurs in 3.3 infants out of every 100,000 births.

(via Reuters)