Hey, I am writing this on behalf of my sister as she is on the fence about starting IVF via ICSI. She has had an appointment and the doctor has told her about the many side effects this treatment can have on herself and the baby if the treatment is successful. She was told there is a risk that the child will be born or develop either a learning difficulty or other health problems and has read online that it may heighten the risk of breast or ovarian cancer. The doctors obviously need to make her aware of the risks, but this has scared her and is now unsure if she is doing the right thing. I wanted to get opinions of anyone who has gone through this treatment so she can see educate herself a little before she makes a decision, (I have her permition for this post). Thank you for taking the time to read this post
Icsi side effects: Hey, I am writing... - Fertility Network UK
Icsi side effects
Hi. I’m so sorry she has heard of all these scares. I must say in many years I’ve not heard of such doubtful claims. Im hoping some ladies will jump on here with their good stories. Hope a.ll works out went. Diane
From what I know, the cancer risk is complicated and supposedly might increase after a certain number of rounds but there isn’t good or consistent evidence to conclude that this increase was caused by the ivf process. I can’t imagine it would be very ethical to test!!
The risks with icsi to baby are still very very small. Icsi is used as standard in lots of European countries so can’t be that unsafe and anecdotally, my little one is meeting all his milestones and has no major health issues.
Ivf generally does carry a higher rate of birth defects/ childhood ill health than the general population and icsi slightly higher but that might be because some mums are older (like me) or because of the process or because of the reasons for their infertility so you can’t infer causation.
Best of luck to your sister whatever she decides to do x
I'm currently pregnant with an icsi-ivf baby. The research is sketchy to say the least. Some studies have shown a slightly higher increase in issues for babies born via icsi-ivf but, what all studies have in common, is not knowing whether it's icsi-ivf itself OR exisiting fertility issues. Most people who opt for icsi-ivf do so because they and/or their partner have a fertility issue (poor egg or sperm quality) and/or they are an older couple. These are 2 things that can increase the risk anyway. There's no definitive answer on whether icsi-ivf itself contributes to any increase in issues with babies.
And while some studies show a slight increase in issues in babies for couples who have undergone fertility treatment, the overall increase is still quite low.
As for the cancer stuff, again, that's debatable. You take the medication acutely during treatment, so it's not like she would be on it for long enough for the risk to be higher (I was always told there wasn't a risk).
I totally get where she's coming from though - you can easily end up in a Google black hole. Having a baby, no matter how that baby was conceived, will always carry some risk. Nobody can guarantee a healthy baby. Whatever will be will be X
Hi lovely my son was born with ivf via isci he is 1 yr old now no health problems he is super quick no learning disabilities. It’s understandable for your sister to be a bit nervous going into ivf but like any operation /procedures the doctors have to tell you the worse case scenarios even tho the chances are very slim . I have never heard of anyone getting cancer from a single round of ivf or been told there’s a chance if it works via isci the baby could not be healthy or Have learning challenges and I’ve been doing ivf with isci since 2013 . I wish your sister good luck and tell her ivf really isn’t as bad as it sounds sending loads of positive vibes her way xx
I second everything said above and may just add what my consultant told me at the time I had to take the same decision. Every egg is precious, once we put them in a dish with sperm (like it happens in IVF), we can't control what happens. Sperm may not fertilise properly etc.. so you loose the egg. risk which you can bypass with ICSI where the sperm is taken and injected in the egg. It convinced me to go for it, on top of the lack of a scientific proof that ICSI Is causative of birth defects.
Hi. I have had IVF ICSI successfully and have a beautiful baby from it - 100% in full health. I was actually told of no risks….and a million percent happy I had the treatment and did it for the outcome xx
hey- I don’t think I’ve ever heard all this, I’m sure the nhs wouldn’t offer it if there was an actual risk to putting more pressure on them by giving IVF. Ps there is no increased risk of learning difficulties IVF vs ICSI carries no different risks from each other? Is there factual evidence of this the doctor has provided?
I think she needs to find another clinic as they sound absolutely bonkers if I’m honest!! IVF and ICSI are the exact same thing except in ICSI they inject the sperm I to the egg rather than let them ‘swim’ to it. That’s it, all the rest (drugs, egg collection etc) is the exact same.
My perfect ICSI 3 year old is very smart and physically healthy! At not one point as any doctor before, after or during treatment said there was any risk to him from being conceived via ICSI. The only thing that was ever said was in pregnancy they like to induce early (a week early) as there is a slight increased risk that placenta stops working as well as it should with IVf/ICSI and they know baby is full term as dates are exact. It’s optional though.
The IVF ICSI decision is usually a sperm factor, we didnt even know it was ICSI over IVF that was used at fertilisation (as our sperm was frozen) until we went back for a sibling tbh. Tell your sister not to worry and good luck xx
I’ve never heard of such heightened concerns with the use of ICSI. And tbh I don’t like the sound of the Dr she spoke to. Were they a fertility specialist? I’ve found that regular doctors are actually pretty clueless regarding IVF. And tbh even my midwives are fascinated and asked me lots of questions. I had ICSI on my NHS round but this time I actually don’t know if they used ICSI so I’m going to have a look - that’s how unconcerning to me the use of it is!
I’ve just rewatched the series Making babies with Alex Jones. I watched it whilst going through IVF too. It’s a brilliant insight into IVF and procedures that may ease her mind x
Two of my 3 children are ICSI IVF babies and I am waiting for the result of a transfer I made 7 days ago. My embryos were made in the US and my transfers in the US for the first one and in Europe for the three others so I have been in contact with quite a number of doctors at this stage. I am generally very curious so I have good knowledge about the technical details of the process and frankly, I have never heard of anything like that. ICSI is a technique consisting in the injection of the sperm in the ovocyte for purposes of the creation of an embryo. It works or not (works in general) but it has no impact whatsoever of the chromosomes of the embryos, which are a mix of the sperm’s and the ovocyte’s ADN. Any default identified in the embryo that may impact its viability and its general health is linked to chromosomes, and certainly not to the way the gametes were manipulated. These chromosomic defaults can be identified with biopsy (also called PGD), so that the aneuploid embryos can be discarded. I don’t even mention breast cancer, it is quite unheard of.
I would change doctors. This is an important process and she needs someone skilled, not some sort of jokers who do not even understand what they are speaking about.
Ps: despite an ability to make of a house an incredible mess, especially with cars and bikes and teddy bears, and a fascination for French fries with mayonnaise and ketchup, I have not noticed anything special about ICSI IVF babies. He might refer to that though 
the chance of baby having birth defects with ICSI is a) incredibly rare b) as others have said not conclusive studywise- the teeny tiny increase they have seen could be more likely due to the dna damage of the sperm or the egg quality. And there’s no link to learning difficulty or health problems, no more than any baby.
My ICSI baby is 7 months old and, if anything, more advanced in some areas.
In regards to it increasing chances of cancer in the woman: a) there are no peer reviewed, big studies that show this at all. b) being pregnant, having a baby and breastfeeding reduces your chance of ovarian and breast cancer anyway, so you’re better off being pregnant than not regardless.
sorry your sister has been worried but the risks have been massively overstated or taken in the wrong way. Hundreds of thousands of women have successful ivf year on year globally and if there were such risks it wouldn’t happen.
I did not dare saying it but one of my ICSI babies is quite advanced too. So, if anything…
I had my LB by using ICSI 2 years ago, he is the picture of health, so smart and healthy, I wasn’t informed about these side effects by my clinic and I have to say I think there is a risk in any pregnancy regardless of how conception comes about, IVF/ICSI is one of the most mentally challenging things I’ve been through but would do it again to have another precious baby
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