INTRACYTOPLASMIC SPERM INJECTION (ICSI)
ICSI or intracytoplasmic sperm injection is in vitro fertilization procedure in which a biologist or the embryologist carefully injects a single sperm into each egg cell.
ICSI is one of the most important methods for treating male infertility. The advantage of the ICSI method is that fertilization is possible despite an extremely small number of suitable, high-quality sperm – if only a few can be obtained, the procedure can be carried out.
Indications for infertility treatment with IVF-ICSI:
- severe forms of male infertility (very low sperm count, poor motility, poor morphology or a combination of all)
- absence of sperm in the ejaculate (azoospermia)
- the presence of sperm antibodies that prevent the development of healthy sperm and prevent fertilization (positive MAR test >50%)
- after a vasectomy (sperm is obtained from the testicles)
- when surgical removal of vasectomy (microsurgical vasovastomy) is not successful
- in case of erectile dysfunction (men with diabetes, spinal cord injuries and other disorders)
- problems with ejaculation (e.g. retrograde ejaculation)
- when previous fertilization using the standard IVF method was not successful or the fertilization rate was unexpectedly low
Success Rate:
The fertilization rate with the ICSI method is comparable to the fertilization rate with the standard IVF method.