Males Conceived Through IVF May Have Fertility, Sperm Problems

Belgian researchers conducted a study in which they observed 54 males who were conceived via a common type of IVF treatment and they concluded that the offspring may himself have a low sperm quantity and quality.

"We treated couples where the husband had very abnormal sperm, so it is not so surprising that in their sons the quality of their sperm had an impact on them," explained lead researcher Dr. Andre Van Steirteghem, according to Medical Xpress.

It was observed that the 54 young males conceived by infertility treatments had nearly half the sperm concentration, about 33 percent sperm count and much fewer sperms that were motile (sperm that can swim well) compared to males who were conceived naturally.

In addition to this finding, it was also stated that the males who were born using an infertility treatment known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) were about three times more prone to have sperm concentrations below the normal levels set by World Health Organization, i.e., 15 million per millimeter.

ICSI is a technique that was invented to solve male infertility problems. It involves the selection of the healthiest sperm from the father and injecting it into the egg before the resulting embryo is placed inside the mother's womb.

Though this procedure is widely used now even when the issue is of female infertility, the researchers were more concerned about the males that were born via ICSI due to the father's abnormal sperm since the chances of them inheriting their father's infertility were quite high. That meant the future generations would also depend on ICSI if they wished to become parents. The concern has almost come true with the results of this study.

This small group of males showed the negative results but the researchers believe that the study now needs to carried out in a larger group in order to be sure about the conclusions. Moreover the findings can not be applied on males born using ICSI due to the female infertility. The impaired sperm observed in these males is a result of genetics or the procedure isn't confirmed yet.

"Kids conceived through ICSI or in vitro fertilization [IVF] can have low birth weight and higher chance of heart and respiratory issues, and may be at a higher risk for autism or attention deficit hyperactivity," explained Dr. David Samadi, chief of urology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.