This is one of the most asked questions when seeking infertility treatment. ICSI and IVF are both assisted reproductive techniques that require medical intervention from a fertility expert. The two procedures almost have a similar procedure except during the fertilization step in ICSI where a single sperm is injected into the egg for fertilization to occur.
Generally, most people hardly know about ICSI treatment mostly because IVF is more advertised than any other technique of fertilization. The Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) is perceived to be more technical by some fertility experts than IVF treatment.
Do you need ICSI?
A majority of infertility patients directly head for IVF treatment and turn to ICSI in case various IVF cycles fail to result in conception. Unless the underlying infertility issues are as stated below, the fertility expert at the leading IVF Centre in Delhi may directly recommend IVF.
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Abstracted or blocked sperm movement
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Vasectomy
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Erection and Ejaculation issues
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Low or no sperm count
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Unsuccessful treatments
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Seen as the best treatment
What does the ICSI procedure involve?
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Ovarian Stimulation
This is also applicable to IVF a process where fertility drugs are provided or administered in a woman to bring about follicular development in the ovaries.
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Egg retrieval
The matured eggs will be removed through a minimally invasive procedure. A woman may experience cramping and stopping after the procedure.
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Sperm retrieval
The sperm must be obtained from a man through masturbation or may be surgically extracted. The sperm will be washed and prepared in the laboratory.
The ICSI Phase
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The best sperm is trapped or selected by a sharp tool in the form of a needle. It is then inserted into the ‘Zona’ of the egg down to the cytoplasm (the core of the egg)
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Once the sperm is successfully administered into the cytoplasm, the needle is removed. The egg or eggs will be monitored for a few days to watch as they are being fertilized or not
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The best embryo will then be selected for embryo transfer to cause successful implantation and conception
Success rate of ICSI
The average success rate of ICSI is 42%, but the success rate of ICSI treatment in India basically depends on the age of a woman and the quality eggs.
When compared to IVF, the success rate of the two procedures is 3 to 7 (ICSI to IVF) and that makes a huge difference between the procedures.
Donor sperm can also be used in ICSI treatment.
ICSI and Laser Assisted Hatching
This is known as an embryo manipulation technique aimed at causing fast implantation by creating a gap in the Zona pellucida. The procedure used a beam of laser energy that hit the hard shell of the egg two or multiple times to create the gap.
Contact with the egg is strictly limited to prevent damaging the egg and rendering the procedure a failure.
The procedure is expensive and obviously, increases a single ICSI cost in India.
After laser assisted hatching, the embryo will then be transferred back into the uterus.