Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)

When sperm count is very low or no sperm in semen, then this technique is used.

Couples prepare for ICSI in the same way as for standard IVF, namely ovarian stimulation and egg collection. A single motile morphologically normal sperm is carefully identified, picked up using a tiny pipette and carefully injected directly into the cytoplasm (centre) of each mature egg. The fertilized embryos are allowed to develop as for standard IVF prior to transfer.

With ICSI, very few sperm are required and this process involves the direct penetration of the sperm into the egg. It is therefore recommended:

• When the sperm count is very low.
• When the sperm cannot move properly or are in other ways abnormal.
• When sperm has been surgically retrieved directly from either the epididymis (the coiled tubing outside the testicles which store sperm) or testicle itself.
• When there is previous IVF fertilization failure.
• When there is a high level of sperm DNA damage.