A technique for injecting sperm directly into unfertilised eggs to increase the chances of a successful IVF pregnancy is being used too widely by some fertility clinics, the head of the UK Government's fertility watchdog has warned.
It is well known that success rates for IVF are very low and very costly, with three cycles costing around £15,000.
Instead intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is being used because it is more successful than standard IVF. In some European countries it is thought that it is being used in up to 95% of IVF cycles.
However some studies suggest that IVF children born from ICSI may be at higher risk of medical problems as they grow older, including infertility problems for males (
www.independent.co.uk/news/science/survival-of-the-unfittest-ivf-technique-used-too-widely-watchd... ).
One study claims that babies born using ICSI are 51% more at risk of developing intellectual impairments than those born by normal conception (
www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10155825/Male-fertility-treatment-increases-risk-of-intelle... ).
Whose rights are more important? The rights of the parents to have a child or the rights for any child born to be as healthy as possible?