Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (IVF ICSI)
IVF ICSI has revolutionized the treatment of male infertility allowing fertilization to occur even if only a few sperma are available. First developed by reproductive medical specialists in Belgium, ICSI is a specialized form of microinsemination to help couples overcome male infertility problems such as: low sperm counts, poor motility or movement of the sperm, poor sperm quality, or sperm that lacks the ability to penetrate an egg. ICSI has become so successful that most treatments previously used for male infertility have been abandoned in its favor.
During routine IVF, eggs and sperm are combined and incubated together in order to achieve fertilization. ICSI is performed by the embryologist, who surgically inserts one sperm into each egg. This is done by perforating the membrane of the egg with a glass pipette, which contains the sperm.
This procedure requires highly developed skills. Because only one sperm is needed per egg, even very small numbers of sperm can work. This becomes especially important in males with azoospermia (the complete lack of sperm present in the ejaculate). In such cases, we can offer a procedure called testicular sperm extraction (TESE), where our urologist extracts a small piece of testicular tissue that may contain sperm cells that can be used for ICSI. In a very high percentage of cases, azoospermic males can achieve fatherhood. Another surgical procedure may also be performed called Percutaneous Epididymal Surgical Aspiration (PESA)
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