|
24 June 2005
Male Fertility On The Wane 
Scientists at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology conference say that new figures show that infertility may be becoming more of a man's problem than a woman's problem . In the past, approximately 40 percent of infertility cases have been linked to medical problems in men and 40 percent to medical problems in women, with the remaining 20 percent due to joint problems. But now, a report from the group that monitors assisted reproduction in Europe has shown that ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) overtook conventional IVF techniques as the most commonly used assisted reproductive technology used. Figures from Europe show that the number of ICSI cycles has risen steadily. In 1997 the proportion of ICSI cycles versus IVF cycles was 43.7 percent, in 2002 it had grown to 52 percent. "We do not really know why ICSI has become more prevalent. There are probably many reasons. One of them could be that the relative causes of infertility are shifting. We see less and less infertility caused by severe tubal problems in women, probably because of better sexual protection due to the risk of AIDS during the last 15 years. But male subfertility seems to be increasing. Perhaps the data on declining sperm quality are true, and maybe environmental factors are playing an increasing role as the planet becomes more polluted and factors that disrupt the endocrine system enter the food chain," said Dr Anders Nyboe Andersen, a researcher at Copenhagen University. ICSI is a comparatively new technique, with the first ICSI baby being born in 1992. Before its introduction traditional IVF required more than half a million sperm for a good chance of fertilisation; ICSI requires just one sperm to be injected into each egg. Sperm dysfunction may also be overcome by ICSI since more than 50 percent of eggs usually fertilise normally, regardless of the quality of the sperm injected. "It is also possible that as ICSI techniques have improved, patients and doctors are voting with their feet and using it in ever increasing numbers, despite any residual fears about its safety and the health of ICSI babies," said Dr Nyboe Andersen.
Talk About This Article In The Forum...
|
