Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection is a subset of an IVF cycle. It used to enhance the chances for fertilization in case of failure in the previous IVF cycle. In a conventional IVF procedure millions of sperms are dropped on an egg for the natural process of one sperm to fertilize the egg to occur. Sometimes the fertilization fails to occur as the sperm is unable to penetrate into the egg or there can be any other reason that is preventing fertilization to take place.
Through ICSI technique the specialist can prevent the hindrance by selecting one healthy sperm with the highest motility rate and the best morphology from the semen sample and can directly insert it into the egg with an injection needle. This highly increases the chance for the fertilization of sperm with the egg and the resultant to be an embryo.
Why ICSI is recommended to an infertile couple:
- Failure of previous IVF cycle.
- When the number of sperm is very low during ejaculation.
- In case of poor sperm motility.
- Poor sperm morphology
- If antisperm antibodies are present in the sperm.
- The available frozen sperm has poor motility and low sperm count.
The ICSI cycle involves similar steps with slight differences, which are enlisted below:
- Sperm sample is collected.
- Eggs are extracted from the ovaries.
- The sperm is then injected into a mature egg by using ICSI technique.
- The fertilized egg is then put back into the incubator forgrowth and development.
- After the formation of an embryo, it is transferred into the uterus.
Role of ICSI in IVF Treatment
The normal IVF cycle with poor sperm quality has 40% chances for successful fertilization but in case of ICSI cycle the chances of successful fertilization reaches up to 80-85%. An ICSI does ameliorate the chances of better result and the benefits of ICSI are as follows:
- Rate of fertilization is higher in an ICSI cycle as compared to a normal IVF cycle.
- It provides an exclusive treatment for male factor infertility.
- Increases the chances of fertilization for couples that have had multiple failed IVF cycles in the past.
Using an ICSI cycle is an efficient way to improve the process of fertilization and to fill the gaps which attributes to the failure of any fertility treatment. It is important for an infertile couple to take all the possible measures in order to achieve a successful pregnancy.