The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority provides further information on the risks of ICSI:
“ICSI carries slightly more risks than some other fertility treatments, including a risk that eggs may be damaged when they’re cleaned and injected with sperm.
It has been suggested that the use of ICSI may also be associated with long-term health issues for the children born. However, we cannot prove this either way until we have more conclusive evidence.
Risks that may be associated with ICSI include:
- certain genetic and developmental defects in a very small number of children born using this treatment; however, problems that have been linked with ICSI may have been caused by the underlying infertility, rather than the treatment itself
- the possibility that a boy conceived as a result of ICSI may inherit his father’s, or donor’s, infertility. However, where there is a clearly defined genetic cause of male infertility, particularly if it is associated with the Y chromosome, it is highly likely that male offspring will inherit their father’s, or donor’s, infertility.
If you think this might apply to you, you may want to consider having genetic testing first to avoid the low sperm count being passed onto a male child. You’ll probably want to discuss the full implications of taking these tests with your clinic’s counsellor before going ahead.
The possibility of genetic testing of male partners who have very poor quality/no sperm is available. These cases will be discussed with the consultant andrologist who will arrange a referral if appropriate.
Is there a difference between the fertilisation rate for IVF and ICSI?
Following both IVF and ICSI we expect to have successful fertilisation in about 7 out of 10 eggs (70%). In a small proportion of both IVF and ICSI, there is unexpectedly no fertilisation. If this occurs with IVF, we may recommend ICSI in any future treatment.
Is there a difference in the pregnancy rate and safety of IVF and ICSI?
There is no evidence that the pregnancy rates differ whether the eggs were fertilised by IVF or ICSI. If you have an extremely poor sperm count, there is theoretically a very small risk that your infertility could be passed on to a male child. If appropriate, we will discuss this in more detail with you in the clinic.
How do we decide if you need IVF or ICSI?
The embryologist will advise you about whether you need IVF or ICSI. Initially we base this advice on the sperm test before treatment and your previous medical history. The final decision cannot be made until we have analysed the sperm sample given on the day of egg collection.
Sometimes the advice is very clear. A normal sperm sample indicates IVF and a poorer quality sample indicates ICSI. Analysing sperm samples is complicated and sometimes difficult to interpret. Furthermore, there is considerable daily variation in sperm counts. In the clinic, we will recommend either IVF or ICSI based on the evidence at that time. We will let you know on the day of egg collection if our advice changes so that you can make a final decision.
What happens to the egg and sperm?
After insemination, the eggs and sperm are placed into an incubator and will be assessed for fertilisation by an embryologist the following morning.
How do we prevent laboratory identification errors?
A rigorous system is in place to cross check your eggs, sperm and embryos against your name(s). You are assigned a separate compartment in the incubator that is labelled with your name(s). Each laboratory dish (containing eggs, sperm or embryos) that is used in your treatment is labelled with your name(s). This identification system is tracked by RFID tags that link your eggs, sperm and embryos and record all actions taken.
If you wish to know more about our research, we would be happy to discuss this with you when you come to the clinic.
Contact
If you have any questions or concerns throughout your treatment, you can email the fertility nurses.
We do our best to answer your call as soon as possible, but we are a very busy service, so we may not always have someone available to speak with you immediately. If the line is engaged, please try again later or use the nurse email address above. The telephone line is often quieter in the afternoon.
Outside of these hours, there is an on-call doctor available to speak to in emergencies only on 0191 256 8240. The on-call doctor is not able to change clinic appointments or to answer general queries that are not urgent. These types of calls must be made during clinic opening hours.
For more urgent queries, our telephone line is open 8am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday
Patient feedback
We welcome your opinions and feedback on areas you feel have gone well or suggestions you may have to help us improve our service.
If you have any problems during your treatment or are unhappy with the care you are receiving please contact the Senior Sister (Stacey Turnbull) on 0191 213 8213.
Fertility treatment is sometimes upsetting and frustrating particularly when things do not go quite to plan or you do not get the outcome you had hoped for. Sometimes having a chat with us will help relieve some of the tension and frustrations you may be feeling. We are always willing to listen.
