Objective: To evaluate the rate of chromosomal abnormalities in babies conceived by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).
Design: Retrospective case-control analysis.
Setting: Private IVF center.
Patient(s): One thousand one hundred thirty-six karyotype results obtained from fetuses conceived by ICSI.
Intervention(s): Amniocentesis and prenatal karyotyping.
Main outcome measure(s): Presence of normal and abnormal chromosomal configurations.
Result(s): Abnormal karyotypes were detected in 17 (1.5%) of 1,136 fetuses. Eight (0.7%) of these were from singleton and nine (0.8%) from twin pregnancies. There was no difference in the autosomal chromosome structure or the number or structure of sex chromosomes in karyotyped fetuses of singleton and twin pregnancies. However, abnormal numbers of autosomal chromosomes were more frequent in singletons (2.3%) than in twins (1.1%). There was also no difference in the frequency of chromosomal aberrations between ICSI groups in which ejaculated spermatozoa (1.9%) and testicular spermatozoa (1.5%) were used. There was no difference in the frequency of chromosomal aberrations between fetuses for whom ICSI was used because of male factors (1.8%) compared with babies for whom ICSI was also the choice of assisted fertilization method for other types of infertility factors (0.9%).
Conclusion(s): Sperm source does not influence the karyotype of babies conceived by ICSI. By comparing our results with previously reported data from natural pregnancies, we show that ICSI babies carry a significantly increased risk of an abnormal karyotype. However, the increased risk is similar among the different infertility groups.