What Is ICSI Treatment For Infertility?

ICSI is an advanced technique of ART that has changed the face of fertility treatments around the world. Like another IVF method, ICSI involves the injection of a single sperm into an egg, which highly increases the chances of fertilization due to problems related to male fertility. 

High success rates continue to be recorded through the process, especially so for couples experiencing male infertility. Research shows that actual fertilization possibilities of ICSI treatment in Delhi may vary from 50 to 80 percent, depending on the age and general vitality of the couple. 

Understanding ICSI

ICSI was done due to some difficulties of the conventional IVF, where fertilization occurs by placing eggs in a dish containing many sperm. On the other hand, ICSI avoids conditioning many barriers to fertilization by means of injecting the sperm cell right into the cytoplasm of the oocyte utilizing a micropipette. Since low sperm concentration or poor quality of sperm greatly affects fertility for the couple, such a method is of greatest importance to the couple with difficulty in conceiving.

Indications for ICSI

ICSI is typically recommended in several scenarios:

• Low Sperm Count: In cases where the count of sperm is very low, say less than 20 million per milliliter, the option of ICSI leads to fertilization chances.
• Poor Sperm Motility: Sperm that are not motile may not swim to the egg or fertilize it when necessary; this may lead to pregnancy failure. 
• Abnormal Sperm Shape: Abnormal-shaped sperm may not easily get through the outer layer of the egg. To overcome this challenge, it will be operationalized as ICSI.
• Previous Vasectomy: Men who have been castrated through vasectomy may have their sperm harvested from testicles or epididymis.
• Failed Previous Fertility Treatments: For individuals that have not gotten pregnant through other processes such as IUI, ICSI offers the next best chance.

The ICSI Procedure

The ICSI treatment involves several key steps:

Initial Consultation

Fertility specialist can therefore recommend ICSI to couples after undergoing a meeting where the couple presents their infertility problem.

Ovarian Stimulation

The woman takes drugs to make her body release more than one egg during the cycle commonly referred to as ovary hyperstimulation. This exercise lasts between 8 and 14 days, but the monitoring is done frequently with ultrasounds.

Egg Retrieval

After the egg has been fertilized, it undergoes several tests to determine when it is ready for retrieval, which is usually done under local ether anesthesia. The mature eggs are retrieved by putting a thin needle through the woman’s vagina after a scan to locate the ovaries.

Sperm Preparation

A sperm sample is done on the male partner and is analyzed in the laboratory to identify good and moving sperm.

Injection of Sperm into Egg

Employing micromanipulation and using a high-power microscope, one live sperm is injected directly into the mature egg.

Fertilization and Embryo Culture

These eggs are then left after injection to be observed for the next few days for signs of successful fertilization. Healthy eggs, when fertilized, mature into embryos, which are evaluated before transfer.

Embryo Transfer

The best-quality embryos are then cultured for several days of the culture and then inserted into the woman’s uterus on either day three or five after fertilization.

Risks and Complications

As with any operation in the treatment of infertility, there is a risk associated with ICSI, but these are minimal. Potential complications include:

• Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS): This condition may develop when there is hyperstimulation of eggs.
• Egg Damage: The process of injecting into the egg is done with a small chance of damaging the egg; the chances are less than two percent.
• Genetic Risks: Some risks are reported for chromosomal abnormalities or birth defects, but these may have possibly resulted from infertility factors and not ICSI.

Conclusion

ICSI is counted as a major advancement in the option pertaining to fertility treatment, which opens hope for those couples who are in food shortage due to infertility issues, especially involving male factors. Due to its efficiency in increasing fertilization chances and promoting better embryo development, ICSI treatment has benefited, especially those who have wished to have children. 

If you are planning to try ICSI, always seek the opinion of an experienced fertility doctor of Sehgal Nursing Home who will give you advice depending on your case.

FAQs

Is ICSI better than IVF?

ICSI is not necessarily better than IVF for couples without male factor infertility, as both have similar success rates in such cases.

Is ICSI treatment painful?

The ICSI procedure itself is generally not painful, but some discomfort may occur during egg retrieval and ovarian stimulation.