Rapport final
Are ICSI men and women at risk for infertility and/or cardiometabolic morbidity? - Belva Florence
ICSI is a more invasive technique within the assisted reproductive technologies (ART) and was originally introduced for couples with male-factor infertility. The follow-up of ICSI conceived children is important as little is known about their health later in life. ART has been associated with suboptimal outcomes for fat distribution and blood pressure at puberty. Almost no information is available about the reproductive capacities of ICSI young adults themselves.
We examined the worldwide eldest cohort of ICSI men and women at the age of 18 years with special attention to the risk of metabolic disorders, heart disease and of infertility.
We found that body fat was normal among 126 young adults born after ICSI when compared to 133 controls from the general population. Mean levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin and blood pressure were comparable between the ICSI conceived and control participants. In ICSI men, but not in women, a lower mean HDL-cholesterol (“the good cholesterol”) level was found. Other markers of the metabolic syndrome, which is a cluster of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes, were not different between the ICSI and control group, which is reassuring.
Regarding, the infertility risk, we found that young adult ICSI men had lower numbers of (motile) sperm cells when compared with controls. Reproductive hormone levels were comparable between young adult ICSI men and men from the general population. In young adult ICSI women, reproductive hormones and the number of follicles in the ovaries were comparable with findings from controls.