Children born through in vitro fertilization (IVF) are twice as likely to suffer from serious heart defects than those conceived naturally. This is reported by the Daily Mail with reference to a study conducted in Europe. Scientists analyzed data from all children born in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Adjustments were made for other factors, including the child's year of birth, country of birth, mother's age at delivery, whether the mother smoked during pregnancy and whether she had diabetes or heart defects. Heart defects were about 36% more common in children born through assisted reproductive technology. In the case of IVF, the risk was twice as high. The risk was also twice as high in twins. Researchers noted that in the vast majority of cases, IVF-born babies did not suffer from any medical conditions. However, the data requires further study. If the scientists' findings are confirmed, we can expect an increase in the prevalence of congenital heart defects worldwide as more people resort to IVF and other reproductive technologies.