Treatment Approaches
- Treatment Introduction
- Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)
- Hysteroscopy
- Laparoscopy
- In Vitro Fertilization & Embryo Transfer
- Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
- Embryo Cryopreservation
- Assisted Hatching
- Ovulation Induction
- Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)
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Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
When there is an increased risk for poor in vitro fertilization due to male infertility, the sperm can rather be injected directly into the egg to ensure successful fertilization. This process is called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). A single sperm is drawn into a fine glass needle that is ten times thinner than a human hair and then injected into the mature egg. When ICSI is performed, there is at least an 80% chance that normal fertilization will follow. In our opinion, additional technology such as ICSI should only be used when the expectation for fertilization would be low under other circumstances. Clearly the single best test of sperm function is to place the husband’s sperm in a dish with his wife’s eggs and see what results the following morning brings. ICSI is not risk free and does add cost to the treatment plan. ICSI should be used only when indicated. Also see information sheet on Risks and Indications for ICSI from ASRM.
