Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection is a micromanipulation technique developed to help achieve fertilization for couples with severe male factor infertility or couples who have had failure to fertilize in a previous in vitro fertilization attempt. The procedure overcomes many of the barriers to fertilization and allows couples with little hope of achieving successful pregnancy to obtain fertilized embryos.

The technique involves very precise maneuvers to pick up a single, live sperm and inject it directly into the center of a human egg.

ICSI Process

The ICSI procedure requires that the woman’s partner undergo ovarian stimulation with fertility medications so that several mature eggs develop. These eggs are then aspirated, using vaginal ultrasound, and incubated under precise conditions in the Embryology Laboratory. The semen sample is prepared by centrifuging (spinning the sperm cells through special solution). This solution separates live sperm from debris and most of the dead sperm. The micromanipulation specialist picks up the single live sperm in a glass needle and injects it directly into the egg.

Through the ICSI procedure, many couples with difficult male factor infertility problems have achieved pregnancy. Fertilization rates of 50%-70% (of all eggs injected) are achieved, and pregnancy rates are comparable to those seen with IVF in couples with no male factor infertility.