Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
What is Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)?
Advantages of ICSI
Best for male factor infertility
Maximize the rate of fertilization
Broadly used technique
Who is recommended to have ICSI?
- Immunological infertility factors
- Less number of retrieved eggs
- Fertilization failure during previous IVF cycle
- Repeated miscarriages during previous cycle
- Age over 35 years
- Endometriosis, PCOS or any other problem
- Unfavorable embryo development in previous cycles
The ICSI process:
Stimulation and Egg Collection.
The ovaries are stimulated to promote growth of follicles with the help of medication. After 8-12 days, an injection (trigger) helps with final maturation of egg. And after 34-36 hours, your eggs are surgically extracted from your ovaries. Egg retrieval is done under ultrasound guidance and mild sedation.
Sperm Selection.
On the day of the egg collection, a sperm sample is taken from your partner’s semen or surgically extracted from his testes or epididymis. The sperm is then analysed and processed by an embryologist in the ART lab. The motile sperm is selected for insemination.
Fertilization
Each and every mature egg is given a single sperm. Using a tiny hollow needle, one sperm is injected into a mature egg. Once the process is done, the egg is cultured in an incubator and checked for fertilization after 16-18 hours. The embryo is then cultured in the embryological laboratory for 3-5 days.
Embryo Transfer
The embryo is carefully evaluated in the laboratory. The finest of the embryos are selected and transferred on the preferable dates.
Post Transfer Process
You will be given some medicines to help the embryo implant. Pregnancy tests are scheduled 14 days after embryo transfer.