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Boys conceived using an assisted reproductive technique in which sperm is injected directly into the egg have lower fertility than average, scientists have found.
The results come from the first generation of boys conceived using a technique called intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), who are just reaching adulthood, and show that the young men have lower sperm quantity and quality than those conceived spontaneously.
ICSI is normally used to help couples conceive when the man has a low sperm count, or where there are abnormalities in the shape or movement of the sperm. The latest findings suggest that these problems tend to be passed on to the next generation - there is no suggestion that they are caused by the technique itself.
The study found that the men conceived through ICSI, who were aged between 18 to 22, had almost half the sperm concentration and half as many motile sperm (sperm that can swim well) than naturally-conceived men of a similar age.
ICSI men were nearly three times more likely to have sperm concentrations below the World Health Organisation’s threshold for...
