It has always been well known that there is a higher rate of birth defect from ICSI treatment compared with IVF. The latest data coming from Australia shows the incidence of birth defects from natural conception is about 5.8%, increasing to 7.2% for IVF and 9.9% for ICSI.  It is important that ICSI is used only in cases where the fertilisation is compromised by the quality of the sperm.