IVF vs ICSI The risk of IVF treatment vs ICSI Various NGOs, churches and human rights groups have

condemned the practice of IVF since it involves the destruction of human embryos. The defenders of IVF advocate the notion that human life does not start during the embryonic stage, and that IVF procedure in no way intrudes upon symbolic barriers protecting human dignity. However the main issue is the risk involved in undergoing IVF and ICSI procedures. During the IVF procedure more than one embryo is placed in a woman's uterus during a single cycle. The IVF success rate is relatively low so the use of multiple embryos increases the chance of pregnancy. However, it also dramatically increases the risk of multiple-birth and associated risks for both mother and babies. Multiple pregnancies occur in around 10-30% of IVF assisted cycles. Recent data from the USA shows that 32% of pregnancies after IVF were twins and 7% were triplets or more. (Womens Health Resources) Women carrying a multiple pregnancy may need to spend weeks or months in bed resting during the pregnancy. Besides, there is a greater risk of late miscarriage or premature delivery. The fertility drugs used to stimulate egg production themselves can have severe side effects. The woman will be closely monitored so as not to develop ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome (OHSS) that might cause abdominal bloating and tenderness..(Womens Health Resources) Additional risks from IVF include injuries to the bowel, bladder and blood vessels during the removal of eggs through a needle. Though there is no research data, ovarian cancer is also linked to fertility drugs used to stimulate egg production. As for ICSI, long-term health and development problems for babies conceived using whatever sperm that is available is the main focus of debate. During normal conception, only the strongest sperm will be able to break through the membrane of an egg to fertilise it. Weaker sperm will never make it but because ICSI bypasses this process there is a question of potential risks. According to the Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee report published in 2009, ICSI procedure involves risk of damage to the egg when the needle is inserted. ICSI involves the risk of embryos having novel chromosomal abnormalities both inherited and de novo). It has been reported that imprinting disorders and sex chromosome anomalies in children conceived through ICSI procedure is higher than IVF. However, the risk of miscarriage, premature birth and low birth weight following ICSI procedure is almost similar with IVF procedure. Therefore, the question of which procedure to choose should be given due consideration.

Current evidence does not show a higher risk of major malformations in babies conceived using ICSI technique compared to IVF. Nevertheless, there is evidence that compared to natural conception, both ICSI and IVF techniques increase the risk for major malformations. (Bertelsmann, H and others, 2008)