A study by a team from the Universiteit Brussels looked at 54 men aged 18 to 22 conceived using Intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), who were compared with 57 men of the same age. The study found out that the men conceived using ICSI had half the sperm concentrate in the ejaculate and that sperm was two-fold lower total sperm count and motile sperm, in comparison to the men who were conceived naturally. Motility in sperm refers at how well the sperm can swim.

The leader of the Male Reproductive Health Research Team at the University of Edinburgh, Prof Richard Sharpe, says that “the results are a reminder to us that ICSI is not a treatment for male infertility, but simply a way of bypassing a problem and leaving it for the next generation to deal with – something my generation seem horribly adept at doing.”

We at The Y Factor have been counseling our patients for years that it is important to understand the underlying cause for decrease fertility to reveal the chance it will be passed along. Only then can a couple decide if they want to proceed with partner sperm or banked sperm during a IVF ICSI cycle.

“The results are a reminder to us that ICSI is not a treatment for male infertility, but simply a way of bypassing a problem and leaving it for the next generation to deal with.”

BBC News
Prof Richard Sharpe, University of Edinburgh