Did you know men who have ring fingers the same length as their index fingers are more likely to have fertility problems compared with men whose ring fingers are longer? Researchers have found that boys conceived using an assisted reproduction technique where a single sperm is injected directly into the egg, instead of many sperm being mixed together with an egg, may have the same problem.

The technique called intracytoplasmic sperm injection and known as ICSI is increasingly being used for men with low sperm counts or where there are motility problems or abnormalities in the shape. The method has only been in widespread use since the early 1990s so the children conceived this way are not yet old enough to have their own offspring.

Researchers have suggested that because the boys conceived using ICSI are more likely to have short ring fingers in relation to their index fingers when compared with naturally conceived children, this probably indicates they have inherited fertility problems from their fathers.
Lead author Alastair Sutclife, a paediatrician at the Institute of Child Health, said ICSI should only be used where absolutely necessary. Dr Sutcliffe’s findings appeared recently in the journal Reproductive Biomedicine Online, “We don’t yet know the implication of the findings because the children are very young, but we need to inform people [about the possible risks of the ICSI procedure].”

Finger length is thought to be determined by exposure to testosterone in the womb and has also been linked with depression and aggression in offspring.

Source: http://carnalnation.com/