What is intracytoplasmic sperm injection?
- 16 Dec, 2022
- IVF and Infertility
- infertility
- Medically Reviewed By:
Dr. Nishi Singh - Author: Prime IVF Centre
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) may help people with infertility conceive a child successfully. This method of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) is particularly beneficial in cases of male infertility. To facilitate conception, your doctor injects sperm into the egg. Pregnancy may occur following an embryo transfer.
What is intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)?
ICSI Intracytoplasmic sperm injection is a method of treating infertility. In a lab, live sperm is injected into an individual's eggs. This method can result in the formation of an embryo (fertilised egg). ICSI is a type of in vitro fertilisation (IVF). ICSI Intracytoplasmic sperm injection is most commonly used by medical professionals when a person's infertility interferes with his capacity to conceive.
Who needs an intracytoplasmic sperm injection?
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection is most beneficial for men who are struggling with infertility. Your doctor may advise ICSI intracytoplasmic sperm injection if you have any of the following conditions:
- Inability to ejaculate (anejaculation)
- Obstruction of the male reproductive system.
- Retrograde ejaculation (their sperm flow back into their bladder)
- Poor sperm quality.
- Low sperm count.
ICSI intracytoplasmic sperm injection may also be required if:
Traditional IVF did not lead to the formation of embryos.
The egg donor is over 35 years old.
You're trying to conceive with previously frozen sperm or eggs (cryopreservation).
What happens before intracytoplasmic sperm injection?
Your healthcare professional has to gather the sperm and eggs before performing an intracytoplasmic sperm injection procedure. For egg retrieval, these procedures are followed:
Ovarian stimulation: It is also termed "ovulation induction." The egg donor receives daily medicine injections for 8–14 days. This induces your ovaries to start maturing several eggs at once. The subsequent maturation of the egg will then be aided by an injection of hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) and Lupron.
Egg retrieval: Your doctor will insert a tiny needle through your vaginal wall and into your ovaries with the help of transvaginal ultrasound technology. Since a little anaesthetic is used, there is no pain throughout this intracytoplasmic sperm injection procedure. The eggs are extracted and collected using a suction apparatus attached to the needle.
The egg retrieval and sperm collection both happen on the same day, unless you're using frozen sperm. The one providing the sperm:
- Refrain from ejaculation for 2–3 days before the sperm collection.
- Ejaculates either in a private setting or at home at a fertility clinic, and the ejaculates are stored in a vessel provided by the lab. The laboratory must collect the sample within one hour of ejaculation.
Semen is immediately analysed to determine sperm amount, motility, and quality. A technique to collect sperm may be necessary for those who suffer from anejaculation, retrograde ejaculation, or azoospermia. This also applies to people who have tried unsuccessfully to reverse a vasectomy. Microscopic testicular sperm extraction and azoospermia may be performed in a hospital rather than a fertility clinic. A laboratory may freeze and preserve the sperm for subsequent IVF use at the clinic (sperm banking).
What happens during an intracytoplasmic sperm injection procedure?
During the intracytoplasmic sperm injection procedure, your physician will:
- Use a pipette (a tiny glass pipe with a suction point), to secure the mature egg firmly in place on a laboratory plate.
- Use a fine needle to immobilise and remove one sperm.
- Reach the cytoplasm by inserting the needle inside the egg.
- Inject sperm into the cytoplasm.
- Pull the needle away from the egg.
What happens after the intracytoplasmic sperm injection procedure?
Your healthcare provider examines the fertilised egg in the lab after intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection to look for indications of successful fertilisation. A healthy fertilised egg should split into cells over the course of five to six days, creating a blastocyst. The cell mass and size of the blastocyst will be assessed by your healthcare professional to ascertain when it is most likely to develop into a pregnancy.
The embryo transfer usually takes place on the fifth or sixth day after the egg retrieval process, but it can take up to one month or even years. The correct timing of your embryo transfer will be discussed with you by your doctor. The doctor will place a catheter—a thin, thin tub—into the vagina and transfer the embryo into the uterus using ultrasound equipment. The embryo must implant (bond) in your uterus for conception to occur. Your doctor may advise you to wait at least two weeks before getting a pregnancy test.
What are the benefits of intracytoplasmic sperm injection?
Intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection is thought to be more effective than traditional IVF in assisting infertile men to have children.
What are the risks of intracytoplasmic sperm injection?
ICSI intracytoplasmic sperm injection may result in these issues:
- Damage, caused by needle penetration of a part or whole of the eggs.
- The egg does not fertilise following sperm injection.
- An embryo inhibits growth in the laboratory or following embryo transfer.
What are the potential risks of intracytoplasmic sperm injection for the baby?
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment slightly increases the incidence of birth abnormalities; however, they are still rare. Some birth abnormalities are related to ICSI intracytoplasmic sperm injection, including
- Intellectual disabilities
- Hypospadias (a birth defect)
- Disorders of sex differentiation
- Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (a growth disorder)
- Autism (a developmental disability)
- Angelman syndrome (a genetic disorder)
What is the cost of an intracytoplasmic sperm injection procedure?
An intracytoplasmic sperm injection cost of a single cycle is about 2.1 - 2.6 lakhs INR. This covers the price of the injections used to induce the growth of multiple eggs, the cost of the operation performed in the embryology laboratory, and the cost of freezing exceptionally good-condition embryos.
The best fertility centres in India use the most advanced technology; therefore, the intracytoplasmic sperm injection procedure there has a greater success rate, even though the cost is higher.
Why should you go with the Prime IVF Clinic?
The Prime IVF clinic is well-equipped with the most recent equipment and cutting-edge procedures to conduct several infertility treatments such as aided hatching, IVF, IUI, blastocyst culture, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, and endoscopy.
The professionals have a great deal of experience treating a wide range of conditions, such as poor ovarian reserve, tubal factor infertility, endometriosis, PCOS, unexplained fertility, and male fertility.
We will bring you the finest infertility treatment available, which can benefit both parents and their baby's health.
