Is intracytoplasmic sperm injection safe? Current status and future concerns

Abstract

In vitro fertilization with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has revolutionized the treatment of patients with severe forms of male infertility. However, because ICSI has been performed for only 10 years, long-term outcomes and risks to offspring remain largely unknown. The fact that ICSI can potentially bypass natural selection barriers to genetic disease transmission has brought a sobering but important impetus to recent research on the risks and outcomes of ICSI. Several studies were done recently to examine specific risks to children born following ICSI. Because of rapid advances in the ICSI procedure itself, studies evaluating the safety of using immature sperm forms from the testis (spermatids, spermatocytes) also have been undertaken. This review summarizes recent studies examining the risks and long-term outcomes to date of in vitro fertilization with ICSI.

Zeta potential vs apoptotic marker: which is more suitable for ICSI sperm selection?

“…During in vivo conception, a spermatozoon destined to fertilize the oocyte has to perform various physiological functions and pass different barriers including the zona pellucida. However, during ICSI all or most of these steps are bypassed [3]. Therefore, researchers are working towards presenting an ideal sperm selection technique to improve the ICSI outcomes, as an important step on ICSI technique due to limited number of oocytes available for insemination.…”

Narrative review of the history of microsurgery in urological practice

“…Sperm aspirated from the obstructed epididymis has been used with IVF since 1985 (62) and testicular sperm has been used with IVF-ICSI since 1993 (63). With epididymal sperm retrieval, operative microscopy now allows for the micromanipulation of individual epididymal tubules and improves the yield of motile sperm (64). Testicular sperm retrieval was originally performed by testicular biopsy which worked admirably in men with blockages but often failed in men with testicular failure (65).…”

Sibling Oocytes Randomly Assigned to Either Conventional Fertilization or Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection Demonstrate Equivalent Fertilization and Blastulation Rates

“…The utility of ICSI has since been expanded to include a variety of fertility diagnoses [5][6][7][8]. In 2008 the American Society for Reproductive Medicine created a list of indications for ICSI, which included the treatment of male factor infertility and selected types of female infertility [5].…”