Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
In assisted reproductive technology (ART), there are two ways by which eggs can be fertilized. The conventional IVF, wherein the eggs and the sperm are mixed in a dish and the sperm spontaneously enters the egg to bring about the fertilization process. In ICSI (intra cytoplasmic sperm injection), the egg is held by a special holding pipette and a single sperm is selected under the microscope and with the help of a injection pipette, it is introduced into the egg in order to facilitate fertilization. We use the micromanipulator to perform ICSI to facilitate fertilization.
Indications for ICSI
- Severe oligospermia (less than 5 million/ml sperm count)
- Poor sperm motility or high proportion of morphologically abnormal sperm
- Previous failed or poor fertilization with conventional IVF
- Surgically retrieved sperm
- Low number of eggs or poor egg quality
For the patient, the protocols are same as for IVF. The pregnancy rates are similar with IVF and ICSI. However, ICSI has revolutionized the treatment of male factor infertility in that, even men with few thousands of sperm are able to have a genetically related child with the help of this technique.