In this article:
What Does "Intracytoplasmic" Mean?
The term intracytoplasmic refers to the fact that sperm is injected into an egg's cytoplasm. The gel-like material in the centre of an egg is composed of water, salt, and other molecules.How is ICSI Different From IVF?
ICSI is a form of IVF. Traditional involves your healthcare professional placing thousands of sperm adjacent to an egg in a laboratory dish. Whether one of the sperm reaches the egg and fertilises it is up to chance. If none of the sperm fertilises the egg, conception (also known as fertilisation) does not occur.ICSI involves directly putting one sperm into one egg to promote fertilisation. However, ICSI does not ensure fertilisation.
In both ICSI and conventional IVF, your healthcare professional places the fertilised egg (embryo) in your uterus. Pregnancy happens when the embryo adheres to the lining of your uterus.
What Is Assisted Reproductive Technology (Art)?
Both ICSI and IVF employ assisted reproductive technology (ART) to treat infertility (difficulty becoming pregnant). ART refers to laboratory-based reproductive therapies that employ eggs and sperm outside of the human body to initiate conception (pregnancy).How Effective Is Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection?
ICSI is used in about six out of every ten IVF treatments. ICSI and standard IVF have the same odds of producing a successful pregnancy. Fertilisation is expected to occur in 50–80% of ICSI efforts.Who Needs ICSI?
ICSI treatments are particularly beneficial for individuals who are male and infertile. Your healthcare practitioner may propose ICSI if you have:- Anejaculation (the inability to ejaculate)
- Blockage in their male reproductive system
- Low sperm count
- Poor sperm quality
- Retrograde ejaculation (semen runs backwards into the bladder)
You may require ICSI if
Traditional IVF has not resulted in the production of embryosThe egg supplier has more than 35 years of experience
To attempt to conceive, you use previously frozen eggs or sperm (cryopreservation)
Who Administers Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injections?
You could visit an OB/GYN who is also a reproductive endocrinologist. These physicians address endocrine diseases that influence reproduction. They focus on identifying and treating infertility, as well as fertility preservation.What Occurs Before The ICSI?
Before doing ICSI, your healthcare professional must collect the eggs and sperm.The following steps are taken during egg retrieval:
- Ovulation induction: It (also known as ovarian stimulation) involves administering pharmaceutical injections to the egg donor for eight to fourteen days. This causes your ovaries to create many eggs at once to develop. The eggs will next be injected with Lupron or human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) to help them mature completely.
- Egg retrieval: Your healthcare professional will utilise transvaginal ultrasound equipment to guide the insertion of a small needle through the vaginal wall into your ovaries. This process is performed under a light anaesthetic, so there is no discomfort. A suction device linked to the needle extracts and gathers the eggs.
Unless you are utilising stored sperm, sperm collection occurs on the same day as egg retrieval. The individual giving the sperm:
- Avoids intercourse and masturbation (no ejaculation) for two to three days before sperm collection.
- Masturbate at home or in a private room at a reproductive clinic, then transfer the ejaculate to a lab-provided container. The laboratory must receive the specimen within 60 minutes after ejaculation.
A semen analysis is performed immediately to determine sperm amount, motility, and quality. People with azoospermia, anejaculation, or retrograde ejaculation may need a sperm collection technique. This also applies to persons who have a failed vasectomy reversal. Procedures such as electroejaculation and microscopic testicular sperm extraction may be performed in a hospital rather than a fertility clinic. A lab may freeze and preserve sperm (sperm banking) for eventual use in IVF at the clinic.
What Occurs During The Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection?
During ICSI, your healthcare provider will:- To keep the mature egg in place on a lab dish, use a pipette (a tiny glass tube with a suction bulb)
- Uses a tiny needle to immobilise and pick up one sperm
- Insert the needle into the egg to access the cytoplasm
- Injects sperm into the cytoplasm
- Remove the needle from the egg
What Occurs After The ICSI?
Following ICSI, your healthcare professional will examine the fertilised egg in the laboratory for evidence of successful fertilisation. Within five to six days, a properly fertilised egg should split into cells and form a blastocyst. Your healthcare professional will assess the size and cell mass of the blastocyst to decide when it is most likely to result in a pregnancy.An embryo transfer takes place on the fifth or sixth day after the egg harvesting process; however, it is sometimes prolonged for a month or even years. The doctor will discuss the timing of the embryo transfer with you. Using ultrasound equipment, your doctor will place a catheter (a long, thin tube) into your vagina and inject the embryo into your uterus. The embryo must implant—that is, attach—to your uterus if pregnancy is to happen. Your doctor may urge that you wait at least two weeks before taking a pregnancy test.
When Should I Contact The Doctor?
If you see any of these symptoms, you should contact your doctor.- Ectopic pregnancy (the implantation of a fertilised egg outside of the uterus)
- Infection
- Miscarriage
- Premature birth
Does ICSI Enhance Your Chances Of Conceiving Twins, Triplets, Or More?
To improve your chances of a healthy pregnancy, your doctor may perform ICSI to fertilise numerous eggs. If you choose to transfer more than one embryo, you may end up with twins, triplets, or more. Multiple pregnancies may raise the risk of early delivery and associated difficulties for both the delivering mother and the infants.If you and/or your partner are having difficulty conceiving a child, your doctor may suggest intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). This method of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) is very useful in cases of male infertility. ICSI is a multi-step process that includes egg stimulation and retrieval, sperm collecting, embryo formation in a lab environment, and embryo transfer. Consult your doctor about if ICSI is the best fertility procedure for you.
FAQs on ICSI: Your Guide to Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection
- What are the benefits of intracytoplasmic sperm injections?
ICIS seems to be more effective than standard IVF in helping men with infertility become parents. Some centres provide ICSI to all patients, regardless of infertility diagnosis. - What are the risks of ICSI?
ICSI may lead to the following complications:- Damage to some or all of the eggs occurs during needle penetration
- An egg does not fertilise after a sperm injection
- An embryo's development terminates in the lab or after the transfer
