Abstract
There are numerous possible complications associated with the procedure of IVF and ET. Many of these have been discussed elsewhere as they may follow treatment prior to oocyte collection, laparoscopy, embryo transfer or pregnancy. As well as these problems, the procedure carries a large number of potential biological complications which will form the basis of the present discussion. The “risks” are those which are faced by the ovum, the sperm and the zygote both while residing in the in vitro culture system and when returned to the uterine lumen for the pregnancy. Some of these risks occur as an intrinsic quality of the particular sperm and ovum used for IVF, such as chromosomal aberrations and genetically inherited diseases which are also found in a small proportion of normal pregnancies. Others may occur because of suboptimal control of the artificial environment used in the laboratory during fertilization and early development. Even when the embryo returned to the genital tract continues to grow, implants and a pregnancy commences, further complications may arise which place the quality of the pregnancy in jeopardy.
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Pike, I.L. (1984). Biological Risks of In Vitro Fertilization and Embryo Transfer. In: Wood, C., Trounson, A. (eds) Clinical In Vitro Fertilization. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3317-9_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3317-9_10
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