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Medical follow-up study of 5-year-old ICSI children
Maryse Bonduelle1, Christina Bergh, Aimon Niklasson
1Centre for Medical Genetics, Dutch-Speaking University Hospital of Brussels, Laarbeeklaan, 101, 1090 Brussels, Belgium.
Insights
Children born via intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) show comparable growth and general health to those conceived naturally. While ICSI children had higher rates of preterm birth, their long-term physical outcomes remain satisfactory.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Medicine
- Pediatric Health
- Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is a common assisted reproductive technology.
- Concerns persist regarding the long-term physical outcomes of children conceived via ICSI.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the physical development of 5-year-old children born after ICSI.
- To compare these outcomes with children born after spontaneous conception.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 300 singleton children born after ICSI were matched with spontaneously conceived children based on maternal age, child age, and gender.
- Growth was assessed using standard deviation scores for stature.
- General health, common diseases, chronic illnesses, surgical interventions, and physical/neurological examinations were evaluated.
Main Results:
- Stature at follow-up was similar between ICSI and spontaneously conceived children.
- Despite a higher incidence of preterm birth and low birth weight in the ICSI group, common diseases and chronic illnesses occurred at similar rates.
- ICSI children had a higher rate of surgical interventions and required more supportive therapies.
Conclusions:
- Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) does not appear to negatively impact childhood growth.
- The general health of children born after ICSI is satisfactory at age five.
- Further monitoring for surgical interventions and therapies is warranted for ICSI-conceived children.
Abstract:
Children born after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) are still a matter of concern. The purposes of the present study were to investigate the physical outcome in 5-year-old children born after ICSI and compare them with children born after spontaneous conception. Three hundred singleton children from Belgium, Sweden and the USA, born after ICSI, were matched by maternal age, child age and gender. In one centre, matching was also performed for maternal education. The main end-point was growth. Secondary end-points were general health, e.g. common diseases, chronic illnesses, surgical interventions and physical/neurological examinations. Standard deviation scores assessed growth. Growth assessed as stature at follow-up was similar in the two groups, despite a higher rate of preterm birth and low birth weight in the ICSI children. Common diseases and chronic illnesses occurred at similar rates in both groups. More ICSI children underwent surgical interventions and required other therapy e. g. physiotherapy and dietary therapy. Physical/neurological examinations revealed few abnormalities in either group. In conclusion, infertility treatment by ICSI does not adversely affect growth during childhood. The children's general health seems satisfactory.
