ICSI Fertility Treatment:
Can It Work For You?

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Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection, or ICSI Fertility Treatment is similar to IVF, however the it helps out a little bit more than IVF, that's because the laboratory technique fertilises the egg and sperm differently.

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In ICSI sperm are directly injected into the egg to achieve fertilisation, forming an embryo.
The embryo is then left to incubate for up to 5 days before safe transfer back into the woman.

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Whereas IVF was the only option before, ICSI is now used about 50% of the time instead.

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This method is a breakthrough for couples who might have intricate problems with male fertility. This could mean if your partner has a low sperm count, or has very few good quality sperm, or even sperm that just can't move very well to reach the egg, this will give them the extra advantage to make conception a possibility.

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The other great thing about ICSI, if there's an irreversible vasectomy it is still possible to collect the sperm and use for fertilisation with this method.

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This is because the sperm doesn't need to make the long journey to the egg, which even if there are great sperm, out of the 2 million ejaculated about 20 are lucky to even make it to the fallopian tubes, then the odds decrease dramatically again once it's time to try and fertilise the egg.
An example is, the sperm being too weak to actually break through the egg. It could make it all the way to the egg, but then not have the energy to penetrate it, meaning you may never get pregnant.
While this is a great procedure particularly if the male has problems, it can also be a great alternative if enough eggs aren't able to be retrieved for ivf.

The ICSI Fertility Treatment Procedure

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Like many other assisted conception treatment options, ICSI begins with fertility drugs used to stimulate the ovaries which will help the follicles ripen and mature some eggs for hopeful fertilisation.

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Normally a woman only releases one egg out of one of her ovaries each month, but with fertility drugs, it is possible to release more than one in this way, increasing fertility chances.
The male than ejaculates into a cup which is then taken for the laboratory to prepare to choose the best sperm to inject into the females egg.

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If a male is unable to produce semen or if there isn't enough sperm in the semen the sperm can be taken directly from the testicles under anaesthetic with a needle.

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The next step is to remove the eggs from the female once they are ripe and ready. After the eggs are removed the sperm is injected into them at the laboratory where it becomes an embryo and is left to form for the next 2 to 5 days.
Once the embryo is right for the female it is transplanted into her uterus uing a thin catheter. This is done via entrance into the cervix. A maximum of 3 eggs are usually transferred. You do not want to have a multiple pregnancy, it can cause alot of complications and problems for both mother and babies.
The idea is now for the embryo to attach itself to the uterine wall and hopefully continue to grow into a beautiful baby.

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ICSI Fertility Treatment does have a success rate just short of 30%. It does provide another way for couples to conceive and has made pregnancy possible for couples who, before, had no way of becoming pregnant naturally.

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