IVF ICSI is used as part of an IVF treatment process. ICSI, or intracytoplasmic sperm injection, entails injecting the sperm cell directly into an egg cell. ICSI is employed to help men with severe cases of infertility. Nowadays, most clinics are applying IVF ICSI to ensure the fertilization of eggs.
Why is IVF ICSI done?
ICSI is mostly used for severe cases of male infertility including low sperm count, poor sperm quality, abnormal shaped sperm, and poor sperm motility. Some men, when ejaculating, do not have sperm so a procedure called testicular sperm extraction (TESE) is done to retrieve their sperm and these sperm cells require the use of ICSI procedure. Some sperm cells are only retrieved through a man's urine and this is termed retrograde ejaculation. An ICSI procedure is done for cases like this. ICSI is also conducted if the man has undergone vasectomy.
ICSI procedure helps men with infertility problems and enables them to use their sperm and to be the biological fathers of their child or children without considering the idea of a donated sperm.
For who is IVF ICSI advised?
ICSI procedure is recommended for couples who are on IVF treatment and failed to achieve fertilization, or when the frozen sperm is of limited number and of low quality, for men with severe case of male infertility, and for men who have abnormal sperm parameters.
Some clinics nowadays include ICSI procedure as part of an IVF treatment to increase the chances of egg fertilization.
How is IVF ICSI performed?
Following the standard IVF procedure, the woman takes fertility pills to promote egg growth. Once enough eggs are fully developed the doctor will perform the egg retrieval. Meanwhile, the partner will provide the sperm sample through ejaculation, or in some cases, through a surgical procedure.
Once the eggs have fully matured, they are placed in a laboratory dish in preparation for ICSI procedure. Meanwhile, a single sperm is chosen and suck using a very sharp glass needle. While the egg is held in place by a holding pipette, the sperm would be gently inserted through the egg's shell and right into the center of the egg. This process is then repeated for each mature egg. By the next morning, each egg will be examined for signs of fertilization and when successfully fertilized, they will be kept for a couple of days before they are returned back to the woman's uterus.
This delicate procedure requires the use of a micromanipulator. So far, only 5% of the eggs that have gone through ICSI have been damaged during this procedure.
How safe is IVF ICSI?
There are some concerns that the ICSI procedure might risk injecting an abnormal sperm into a mature egg which may result into an abnormal embryo. There are speculations that ICSI can cause major birth defects, delayed mental development and sex chromosome abnormalities.
However, there has been no direct evidence that IVF ICSI is really harmful. But to make things clear, couples should first discuss these things with their doctors and determine if ICSI is indeed required. If ICSI is not necessary, couples can suggest to their doctors not to include such procedure in their IVF treatment.