ICSI treatment is a good option for childless couples to conceive and has a baby of their own. ICSI is popular for fertility treatment and several reputed clinics have the required infrastructure for it.
ICSI treatment is a form of IVF that can help couples with infertility, especially male-factor infertility. It involves injecting a single live sperm into the center of each egg in a laboratory, using micro-manipulation equipment. This can increase the chances of fertilization and create an embryo.
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection, abbreviated as ICSI, is one of the steps of in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. Specifically, ICSI does refer to the method of fertilizing oocyte with sperm.
Several people often make use of the term ICSI or IVF-ICSI to refer to the entire fertility treatment process.
ICSI stands for Intracytoplasmic sperm injection. ICSI treatment is a specialized form and an additional step to an IVF treatment. This treatment is usually used for the treatment of male-factor infertility.
Indications of ICSI treatment:
ICSI procedure is indeed suggested for couples or individuals who suffer from these reproductive health issues –
- Low sperm count
- Poor sperm motility
- Poor sperm morphology
- Failed IVF procedure
- In case of surgical aspiration of the sperm
- Or using frozen sperm
- Embryo testing for a genetic condition
How is ICSI treatment done?
ICSI treatment is done as an additional step to the IVF cycle.
Step 1 – Ovarian stimulation
This is normally the initial step of an IVF procedure in which the female partner is given certain hormones as well as drugs to induce the production of a higher number of mature eggs. Ovarian stimulation does help boost ovulation and thus enhances the results of the treatment.
Step 2 – Egg retrieval
The fertility doctor carefully does monitor one’s ovulation cycle and also examines if the person has a sufficient number of healthy, mature eggs. After mature eggs are formed, the doctor will retrieve a certain number of mature eggs trans vaginally.
Step 3 – Sperm collection
At the same time, the male partner is told to submit a semen sample at the fertility clinic. The semen sample is then rather washed and concentrated and then sent to a laboratory for further analysis. The fertility doctor then does select the healthiest-looking sperm cells.
If the male partner is not able to submit the semen sample naturally, the sperm cells are indeed surgically aspirated making use of techniques such as TESA, PESA, and Micro TESE.
Step 4 – Fertilization
In the ICSI procedure, the healthiest sperm cells are rather specifically selected as well as directly injected into the mature egg under carefully monitored conditions in an IVF lab. The mature egg and sperm are then allowed to fertilize, resulting in the formation of embryos.
Embryos are then permitted to culture in the Petri dish at the laboratory for 5-6 days for of course proper development.
Step 5 – Embryo transfer
One’s fertility doctor then does transfer the healthiest choice from the resulting embryos into the uterus of the woman’s partner. The embryo is then allowed to implant itself thus causing pregnancy.
Benefits of ICSI Treatment
ICSI or Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection is indeed commonly recommended to men who experience fertility issues. This procedure can indeed help a man to become a father making use of their sperm for the process. This method can also be made used on men who have rather undergone a vasectomy procedure. The experts extract viable sperm by using sperm retrieval techniques and injecting it into the egg for fertilization.
Conclusion
Thus, there is much to know about ICSI treatment.
