What is ICSI?

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is an in vitro fertilization procedure in which a single sperm is injected directly into an egg.

When to go for ICSI?

How does ICSI work?

WOMAN:

You are given fertility drugs to stimulate your ovaries to produce more eggs, as for IVF, and your progress will be monitored through vaginal ultrasound scans and possibly blood tests.
The eggs are then collected using the same procedure as IVF and each egg is injected with a single sperm from your partner or donor. The rest of the process is also the same as IVF.

MAN:

If sperm are provided without medical procedure, then a fresh sperm sample is provided on the same day as your partner’s eggs are collected.


Medical Procedure:
Sperm can be collected directly from the epididymis using a type of fine syringe. This is known as ‘percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration’ or PESA.
Sperm can also be retrieved from the testicles, a process known as ‘testicular sperm aspiration’ or TESA.
If you have stored sperm, it will be removed from frozen storage, thawed and prepared for treatment.


Finally, if fertilisation does take place, the embryos will be cultured in the laboratory for up to six days and then between one and three of the best-quality embryos will be transferred to the womb.