Children conceived using ICSI do not have an increased risk of delayed mental development at 5 years of age.
BACKGROUND
Concerns about possible adverse outcomes for children conceived using ICSI were highlighted in 1998 when 1-year-old ICSI children were found to be at increased risk (relative risk = 9.2) of delayed mental development compared with children conceived naturally or using IVF. As the findings were biologically plausible, it was considered important to reassess child development when a more accurate measure of long-term cognitive ability could be obtained.


METHODS
The mental development of 97 ICSI, 80 IVF and 110 naturally conceived (NC) children at 5 years of age was assessed using intelligence quotients (IQ) obtained from the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence.


RESULTS
The mean full-scale IQ was 110 +/- 18 for ICSI, 111 +/- 13 for IVF and 114 +/- 13 for NC children (P = 0.21, non-significant). ICSI children were not at increased risk for delayed (full-scale IQ <85) cognitive development (ICSI 5.2%, IVF 2.5%, NC 0.9%; P = 0.18, non-significant). The only significant independent predictor of below-average full-scale IQ on multivariate analysis was lower maternal education level.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that the genetic influence of parental cognitive ability is more important than the mode of conception in determining the long-term intellectual ability of children conceived using ICSI.
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition; D004522:Educational Status; D005306:Fertilization; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D006801:Humans; D008606:Mental Processes; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic; D014888:Wechsler Scales