Intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is an in vitro procedure used mostly to treat male fertility problems. A single sperm is injected into the cytoplasm of a ‘ripe’ egg (oocyte), resulting in fertilization. The treatment has been used for over 10 years with differing degrees of success. Successful fertilization of eggs is quite high at about 50 to 80 percent, with a lower 30 percent chance of giving birth to a healthy baby.
This procedure is used when there are problems with the male sperm. This could be due to quantity or quality. By injecting a chosen sperm into the egg, the chances of a successful fertilization are increased dramatically. If there are problems with the female’s eggs, which has resulted in fertilization failure, ICSI is not a recommended method of micromanipulation in order to generate in an embryo.

Procedure information
The female eggs are obtained using surgical aspiration, a procedure where a needle is inserted through the women’s vagina and into the ovary to extract the eggs. Hormone treatment is often given prior to this treatment to stimulate the generation of eggs. The male sperm is separated and collected from a semen sample (usually produced through masturbation) in the laboratory.

The female egg is held using a specialized instrument (pipette) and a sharp hollow glass needle is used to collect a single sperm. The sperm is then placed inside the outer shell of the egg and into the cytoplasm part of the egg using the same glass needle. Technicians check the egg after approximately 18 hours to see if there are signs of a successful fertilization. The fertilized egg is then placed back into the woman’s womb and she is checked for early signs of pregnancy at regular intervals.

Recovery time
Given the external nature of this procedure, there is no recovery time. Retrieving the eggs is non evasive, as is replacing a fertilized egg in the womb. Other than slight discomfort during the insertion of the needle, the female body is not harmed and the woman will be able to resume all normal activities shortly after.