London, February 23: A new, advanced form of In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatment is being overused and may pass on infertility to the next generation, the doctor who pioneered the technique has warned.
The method ‘Intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)’ involves injecting a single sperm directly through the shell of the egg and depositing it inside.
Due to the extra intervention, abnormal sperm, that would have been otherwise filtered out, are able to fertilise the egg thus increasing the risk of genetic causes of infertility being passed on to the next generation, the Telegraph reported.
Speaking at the American Association for the Advancement of Science at San Diego in US, Professor Andre Van Steirteghem from the University of Brussels who pioneered the treatment 18 years ago said, he believed “ICSI was being used too often.”
“I have noticed from the beginning that several clinics use ICSI for everyone.
–PTI