ABSTRACT
The treatment of severe male-factor infertility has seen remarkable advances since 1992, with the introduction and widespread use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), a micromanipulation technique in which a single mature sperm is injected into the oocyte to initiate fertilization (1). This procedure now provides men who were previously thought to be irreversibly infertile the chance to initiate their own biologic pregnancy. When examining the offspring, the physician should keep in mind that abnormalities may be transmitted from either parent or may arise de novo, depending on the specific defect. While transmission of these genes may cause problems with male infertility in the offspring (2), unknown consequences may also be attendant.
