A report from a working group from Brussels published in the March 2002 edition of the
Human Reproduction showed a rate of significant congenital malformations of 4.2% in a group of 2889 children born following
ICSI and 4.6% in a group of 2995 children born following
IVF. This rate was the same as that expected in children born from spontaneous conception.
A New York working group from the Cornell Medical Centre (Dr Rosenwaks) reported a rate of significant deformities in a group of 2059 children born following
ICSI of 1.8%. No difference was found in those children born following
IVF or
ICSI treatment. When both results are combined, no increased malformation rate was observed in approximately 8000 children born following assisted reproductive procedures. However, these studies do not give any information about the parents or any possible (hormone) therapy in the early pregnancy.
A study in Sweden observed an increased occurrence of hypospadias in boys (the opening of the urethra is on the underside of the penis, or in the milder forms directly beneath the glans, rather than in the front).
Several years ago, it was reported that the intellectual development index in boys born after
ICSI was lower in their first life year than that shown in girls also born using
ICSI. A controlled study carried out in England on 208 children born following
ICSI and 221 children conceived naturally, showed no difference in the mental and/or physical health between the two groups. Children who are born following
ICSI have a normal development.
All these studies show, unanimously, that there is no difference between
IVF and
ICSI deformity rates!
Wennertholm U.B., Bergh C., Hamberger L., Lundin K., Nilsson L., Wikland M., Källen B. (2000) Incidence of congenital malformations in children born after
ICSI. Hum. Reprod. 15: 944-948. Hansen M., Kurinczuk J., Bower C., Webb S. (2002) The risk of major birth defects after intracytoplasmatic sperm injection and in vitro fertilization N. Engl. J.Med. 346: 725-730. Bonduelle M., Liebaers I., Deketelaere V., Derde M.P., Camus M., Devroey P., Van Steirteghem A. (2002) Neonatal data on a cohort of 2889 infants born after
ICSI (1991-1999) and of 2995 infants born after
IVF (1983-1999). Hum. Reprod. 17: 671-694. Palermo G.D., Neri Q.V., Hariprashad J.J., Davis O.K., Veeck L.L., Rosenwaks Z. (2000)
ICSI and its outcome. Semin. Reprod. Med. 18:161-169. Sutcliffe A.G., Taylor B., Saunders K., Thornton S., Lieberman B.A., Grudzinskas J.G. (2001) Outcome.
|
