Genetic sonography as the preferred option of prenatal diagnosis in patients with pregnancies following intracytoplasmic sperm injection

The option of prenatal diagnosis with nuchal translucency measurement at 10 -14 weeks of gestation and second trimester targeted ultrasound including f etal echocardiography (genetic sonography) is reported in patients after in tracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), From January 1995 to December 1998, 153 consecutive patients, with a mean age of 32.3 years (+/- 4.1) and 29.6% greater than or equal to 35 years, who had become pregnant after ICSI, wer e studied. They attended our unit for first and second trimester sonography , Of these, 67.8% of primigravid and 80.9% of nulliparous women were includ ed. Multiple pregnancy rate was 19.7%; 189 fetuses were screened in total. Due to the introduction of genetic sonography in 1995, the rate of invasive prenatal diagnosis decreased from 74% in 1995, to 48, 36 and 19% in 1996, 1997, and 1998 respectively. Two inherited numerical and structural chromos omal anomalies in clinically health; children at birth (1.0%) and four majo r malformations in all liveborn children and late abortions (2.1%) were rec orded. The results demonstrate that especially in women of advanced reprodu ctive age with a long history of infertility, detailed genetic sonography m ay be a reasonable and highly accepted alternative to avoid even the relati vely low risks associated with invasive screening procedures.