Sorry - ICSI needs explaining. It's an acronym (you guessed..)  for
intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection. It involves taking one single sperm and
injecting it into the egg. If fertilisation takes place the egg is then
transferred to the uterus.

Obviously, this is giving Nature a massive helping hand - and there is
apparebntly a price to pay. Can't lay my hands on the research but
something like 20 per cent of the babies followed up after ICSI have some
measurable form of developmental problem.

I spoke to a specialist in male infertility for an article I wrote recently
and while he was in favour of all available help being offered to infertile
couples, he pointed out that in fertility treatment, just as in life,
'there is no such thing as a free lunch'....there is a price to pay for our
knowledge.

It may be bf-related, I speculated, as if couples who have received a lot
of treatment to conceive are then less likely to breastfeed (because of the
reasons I, Elisheva and others have suggested) then the formula feeding
*may* add to their risks.

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc Newcastle upon Tyne UK