Stem-cell research: Risks to egg and sperm

Sydney
14 July 2002

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Stem-cell research: Risks to egg and sperm

Research scientists are looking at using human embryos in overcoming potential chromosome problems associated with IVF techniques to counter male infertility, Dr Fleming said.

Dr Fleming said one current technique required drilling a hole into the outer wall of female eggs and injecting a sperm into it.

“However, there are a lot of questions about how safe this procedure is for the child that may result,” he said. “It is an invasive technique and the risks include damage to the chromosomes of both egg and sperm.

“It is a pretty rough technique.

“There is also the risk of using a defective sperm, because in the normal method of conception the weaker sperm tend not to make it to the egg.

“There is also further invasion when making a prenatal diagnosis to ensure the embryo is OK, which involves taking a cell in the first five days and checking for genetic abnormalities.

“This has its own risks” he said.