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Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is a technique that has dramatically increased pregnancy rates in couples suffering from severe male factor infertility (low sperm counts). ICSI patients undergo the standard in vitro fertilization procedure with the exception that the sperm is injected directly into the egg.

After the eggs are retrieved, intracytoplasmic sperm injection is performed with the insertion of a single sperm directly into a mature egg. The picture on the top shows the embryologist performing ICSI and the microscopic picture on the bottom show the egg being held by the holding pipette on the left and ICSI needle with sperm on the bottom right. This often results in fertilization and development of normal embryos.

With the advent of ICSI, the majority of severe male factor infertility can be successfully treated. New procedures such as MESA and TESA allow men with little or no sperm in their ejaculate to produce a pregnancy. In these procedures, a single sperm is extracted directly from the male reproductive tract, specially prepared, and inserted into the female's egg.