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Intracytoplasmic
Sperm Injection - ICSI

If you’ve been diagnosed with infertility and are seeking out medical infertility treatments, you may have already decided on a course of action with your fertility doctor. One of these techniques is ICSI or Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection.

ICSI Overview

Conventional IVF

For many prospective parents battling infertility, treatments often include IUI or IVF depending on their diagnosis. But sometimes the traditional methods of IVF and IUI still don’t help you to get pregnant fast, and doctors will turn to more advanced fertility techniques to help you begin building your family as soon as possible.
ICSI is often a solution to couples facing poor fertilization during IVF or male factor infertility such as low sperm count or poor sperm health. This procedure is also beneficial for cases where a woman’s eggs have thick outer walls that prevent sperm from penetrating or if eggs have been frozen and are proving difficult for sperm to fertilize.

Some of the fertility issues that can be helped by ICSI include:

Usually in IVF the egg is then surrounded by sperm, in which one will win out against the others and fertilize it. With ICSI however, instead of surrounding the egg with sperm, a single sperm is selected from a sample. Your fertility doctor will choose the healthiest and highest quality one available and place it in a tiny needle.
An ICSI procedure begins just like a regular IVF cycle would. The egg that will be used for the cycle is placed in a small glass dish in the fertility lab. How does an ICSI procedure work? The eggs have Overall this infertility treatment helps to control variables that could otherwise negatively impact fertilization, giving you the best chance for a healthy embryo and baby.

Some of the fertility issues that can be helped by ICSI include:

Issues with the sperm:

Usually in IVF the egg is then surrounded by sperm, in which one will win out against the others and fertilize it.

With ICSI however, instead of surrounding the egg with sperm, a single sperm is selected from a sample. Your fertility doctor will choose the healthiest and highest quality one available and place it in a tiny needle.

Issues with the egg:

  • An ICSI procedure begins just like a regular IVF cycle would. The egg that will be used for the cycle is placed in a small glass dish in the fertility lab.
  • How does an ICSI procedure work?
  • The eggs have Overall this infertility treatment helps to control variables that could otherwise negatively impact fertilization, giving you the best chance for a healthy embryo and baby.
 
 

ICSI Procedure

By having this level of control and the ability to choose only the healthiest sperm amongst the rest, your doctor is able to give you the best chance of a successful pregnancy and healthy baby. Your fertility specialist will then delicately inject this single sperm into the egg with this needle, ensuring the egg is not harmed at all.
Because the sperm has direct access to the egg it can immediately attach itself to it and fertilization can occur much faster and easier. From then on, the infertility treatment continues like an IVF procedure.

ICSI

The fertilized egg or eggs are nurtured in the lab for about 5 days until they become embryos and reach the blastocyst stage. Once they are at this stage, your doctor will examine them to determine how strong and healthy they are, and if you wish your doctor will do any PGT screenings (looking for genetic defects or abnormalities) or gender selection.
The strongest embryos will be chosen for implantation into the uterus to increase the likelihood that they will attach and grow into a happy baby. Some embryos may be frozen for future pregnancies or if another IVF cycle needs to be completed
Once your IVF cycle is done, you will return to your fertility doctors office for a follow up appointment a few days later. If all went well, you will have a successful new pregnancy and begin seeing an obstetrician to help guide you on this exciting journey! .
If you’re curious about ICSI techniques or other infertility practices, Fertility Finders is here to help! We’re eager to answer any question you might have, connect you with fertility clinics near you, or work with you to figure out financial planning and Insurance for infertility treatment. If you have questions don’t hesitate to contact us or give us a call at (844) 804-4401 to speak with our friendly and helpful team!

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