The effect of in vitro fertilization on the cardiac health of mice

The cardiovascular health of offspring born through in vitro fertilization (IVF) remains unclear, with limited comparative data. This study aimed to evaluate the cardiac structure, function, and blood pressure of the mice born through IVF at different developmental stages. The offspring of pregnant mice conceived by natural mating or IVF were fed as control or IVF group. The left ventricular structure and function, blood pressure, cardiac structure and fibrosis, and myocardial hypertrophy markers were detected. Compared with control mice, birthweight and postnatal weight was higher in IVF mice. We also found increased systolic blood pressure in IVF mice at seven and twenty-three weeks. Furthermore, increased mass, volume, and posterior wall thickness of left ventricular in IVF mice was observed at seven and eleven weeks, but these changes disappeared at twenty-three weeks. The cardiac weight, fibrosis, and myocardial hypertrophy were comparable between control and IVF mice. Our study found that IVF mice had increased birthweight and postnatal weight, continuously increased systolic blood pressure, and mild transient changes in left ventricular structure and function. These results indicated that IVF procedure interfered with the left ventricular structure not the whole cardiac structure during childhood and puberty, and this effect cannot persist until adulthood. In addition, left ventricular changes in IVF mice maybe adaptive changes to elevated systolic blood pressure, and future research should focus on the vascular changes and mechanisms, and strengthen the detection of vascular ultrasound and blood pressure. Our study provides new insights into the risk of cardiovascular disease in IVF offspring, which is of great significance in promoting their cardiovascular health.