Abstract
Early follow-up studies of IVF children showed that the frequency of birth anomalies resembled those arising with natural conception. More detailed analyses confirmed these findings, reinforcing the concept of the preimplantation period as teratologically “safe.” The use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) to achieve fertilization introduced another variable.
ICSI’s safety has often been criticized because the fertilizing spermatozoon neither binds to the zona pellucida nor fuses with oolemma. Bypassing these physiologic steps together with the arbitrary selection of the spermatozoon has been reason for concern. Thus far, ICSI offspring undergoing adolescence and beyond has provided sufficient information to reassure these qualms. In fact, the health of the offspring generated through ICSI, once taken into consideration the gestational order, the age and the genetic makeup of the couples are generally reassuring.
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Acknowledgements
We are very appreciative to all clinicians and scientists at The Ronald O. Perelman & Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine and the Urology Department.
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Palermo, G.D., Neri, Q.V., Rosenwaks, Z. (2014). Safety of Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection. In: Rosenwaks, Z., Wassarman, P. (eds) Human Fertility. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1154. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0659-8_26
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-0659-8_26
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