Papers presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research in Philadelphia this week suggest that autism may be linked to infertility drugs. According to a report in Time magazine, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found that autism was nearly twice as common among the children of women treated with Clomid and similar drugs than women who did not suffer from infertility. Even when the women’s age was taken into account the link persisted. The longer the treatment, the more likely it was that the child had an autism spectrum disorder.

And Israeli scientists found an association between the risk of autism and IVF, which also involves fertility drugs. “Taken together,” says Time, “the studies add to a growing body of evidence that a history of infertility and treatment for infertility could play a role in causing autism. However, the papers raise more questions than they answer.” ~ Time, May 20