London - A common form of IVF could be causing reproductive problems for the next generation, a fertility expert has warned.
Professor Lisa Jardine said clinics were using the technique too widely – despite known risks – because it is “easy”.
She was referring to ICSI, a form of IVF which has been shown to produce baby boys who are more likely to have fertility problems.
Professor Jardine, the head of the Human Fertility and Embryonic Authority, said: “We believe it is being used far too widely because it is procedurally easy.
“The scientists who advocate it already know that a boy born through ICSI is likely to have a low sperm count. So it is a little bit worrying that it is being rolled out so widely.”
The procedure – intracytoplasmic sperm injection – is used to treat male infertility and involves injecting sperm into unfertilised eggs.
Just over 48 000 couples used ICSI last year and it represents more than half of all forms of IVF.
Although the technique, which costs around £5 000 (about R75 000), is for male infertility Professor Jardine said it was being used for couples where women were experiencing difficulties.
This is because it enables quick fertilisation rates, allowing the woman to become pregnant even though she may later miscarry due to existing health problems.
Dr Allan Pacey, chairman of the British Fertility Society, said: “We know that babies born from ICSI have increased risk of some problems later in life and infertility is one of them. For these reasons we should be prudent over the use of ICSI.
“So let’s use ICSI when it’s needed, and not as some kind of guarantee against fertilisation failure, which is how some clinics approach it.
“As a country overall we’ve got it about right, because about half of the fertility problems are male related and half are female related, and there is a 50:50 split between ICSI and conventional IVF.
“But there may be some individual clinics that are doing it more than they should. They are frightened of fertilisation failing.”
Last year a study of 300 000 babies suggested ICSI may double the risk of birth defects.
Researchers from Australia’s University of Adelaide found one in ten suffered some form of abnormality. But they could not determine whether the treatment or poor quality sperm was causing defects. - Daily Mail