ICSI Risk of Birth Defects
ICSI-IVF comes with all the risks of a regular IVF cycle, but the ICSI procedure does introduce additional ones.
A normal pregnancy comes with a 1.5% to 3% risk of major birth defects. ICSI treatment carries a slightly increased risk of birth defects, but it is still rare.
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Some birth defects are more likely to occur with ICSI-IVF, specifically Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome, Angelman syndrome, hypospadias, and sex chromosome abnormalities. They occur in less than 1 percent of babies conceived using ICSI with IVF.
There is also a slightly increased risk of a male baby having fertility problems in the future. This is because male infertility may be passed on genetically.
These additional risks are why many doctors are saying ICSI should not be used for every IVF cycle. It is one thing if you need ICSI to conceive. Then, you can discuss with your doctors the pros and cons of using this assisted reproduction technology. However, if you can have a successful IVF cycle without ICSI, why risk even the slight increase in birth defects?