What is Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)?
Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) is a medical procedure used to treat infertility in couples. It involves injecting a single sperm directly into the cytoplasm of an egg to fertilise it. This procedure is proven to be successful in helping couples conceive and is considered one of the most effective treatments for male infertility. It is important to note that ICSI should only be performed by a qualified fertility specialist and should not be attempted without proper medical advice.
What are the advantages of ICSI for treating male infertility?
Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) has been used for over 20 years to help men with severe male factor infertility. It is one of the most successful treatment options for unexplained infertility. ICSI is an assisted reproductive technology (ART) therapy. It is used when a man has a very low sperm count or the sperm is of very poor quality.
The main advantage of ICSI is that it allows for higher success rates in fertilisation and pregnancy. It also reduces the risk of genetic abnormalities as only one sperm is used, reducing the chances of chromosomal abnormalities. ICSI can also help couples who have difficulty conceiving with traditional methods due to a low sperm count or motility issues. ICSI also helps those with unexplained infertility, as it can bypass any obstacles preventing fertilisation from occurring naturally.
How does ICSI work?
ICSI is a procedure that helps treat infertility in men with very low sperm counts. The man is given a series of injections, which cause his testicles to expand and produce more sperm. After the sperm are extracted, they are combined with a single egg in a petri dish in a laboratory. The sperm and egg are placed under a microscope and observed for one to three hours. If the sperm successfully fertilises the egg, it is then transferred to the uterus or fallopian tubes, depending on the age of the female.
ICSI's success depends on the cause of infertility, the age of the female, and the skill of the doctor performing the procedure. If ICSI is used to treat a male with a low sperm count, the success rate is usually between 60 and 75 per cent. A success rate of 50-60 per cent is common for women over the age of 38.
Who Is Eligible For ICSI?
Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) is generally recommended for couples who have undergone IVF but could not successfully achieve a pregnancy. ICSI is highly beneficial for couples who suffer from male factor infertility, such as low sperm count or poor motility and morphology.
You can easily request an appointment at Apollo Fertility, Kolkata for a consultation by calling 1860-500-4424.
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) is a common fertility treatment used to help couples achieve pregnancy. While ICSI is effective in improving pregnancy rates, the differences in embryo quality and pregnancy rates between ICSI embryos and non-ICSI embryos have not been well-studied.
If you decide to proceed with ICSI, as many eggs as possible will be injected. Only mature eggs can be injected with sperm. Although the immature eggs are incubated with sperm, the likelihood of fertilisation is very low. On average, we can inject 75 per cent to 80 per cent of the eggs that are recovered.
ICSI can help with reproductive issues such as the male spouse producing insufficient sperm for artificial insemination (intrauterine insemination [IUI]) or IVF. It is possible that the sperm will not travel normally.
ICSI babies are born a bit early and have lower birth weights than normally conceived babies, which means they are more likely to be "small for gestational age" (SGA). This is not true for infants conceived from frozen embryos.
A tiny catheter is used to insert sperm directly into the uterus during an intrauterine insemination (IUI) treatment. The purpose of this treatment is to increase the quantity of healthy sperm that enters the fallopian tubes during the woman's most fertile period.
ICSI has become a popular treatment for couples with fertility issues, but due to its complexity, it is not always covered by insurance.
