IN VITRO FERTILIZATION (IVF) WITH ICSI

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a procedure in which an egg and sperm are manually combined in a laboratory dish. The resulting embryo is then transferred to the mother’s uterus and hopefully a pregnancy results. IVF is used to treat infertility caused by a number of different conditions, including:

• Blocked, damaged, or absent fallopian tubes
• Male factors such as low sperm count or decreased sperm motility
• Unexplained infertility
• Genetic disorders

How does conventional IVF work?

There are five stages to the conventional the IVF procedure:

• Monitoring and stimulating healthy egg development in the mother’s ovaries with fertility medications
• Collecting the eggs
• Collecting the sperm
• Placing the eggs and sperm in a petri dish together in the laboratory and  providing an environment that is conducive to fertilization and early growth of the embryo
• Transferring the growing embryos to the mother’s uterus

How does ICSI work?

ISCI is an acronym that stands for intracytoplasmic sperm injection. In this procedure, sperm is manually injected directly into the egg, rather than simply placed in a petri dish with the egg. ISCI is a highly successful method for fertilizing eggs, and is primarily used when male factors are the cause of infertility.

In vitro fertilization via ICSI is performed with a small needle that an embryologist will use to select and capture individual spermatozoa. The embryologist then carefully inserts the needle with the individual sperm in it through the egg’s outer shell and membrane, and the sperm is deposited in the cytoplasm of the egg. This procedure results in fertilization of the egg > 70% of the time.

When is intracytoplasmic sperm injection the best option?

There is no single answer to this question. Certain fertility clinics only use ICSI when male factor infertility is severe, and others use ICSI more often. The majority of infertility clinics recommend ICSI on a case-by-case basis, although the incidence of its use has grown steadily over the last decade. There are a number of reasons why ICSI may be the best choice for a couple who is having trouble conceiving, and  can include:

• When the cause is male factor infertility and the couple does not want to use donor sperm with inseminations to conceive
• Sperm concentrations less than 20 million/mL
• Reduced sperm motility
• Abnormal sperm morphology
• Previous fertilization with conventional IVF that was unsuccessful or resulted in low fertilization rates
• Low yield of eggs following treatment with fertility medication
• Use of Preimplatation genetic diagnosis
• Unexplained infertility

At Rocky Mountain Fertility Clinic, we are committed to helping our patients obtain the best possible outcomes. Contact us today to learn how we can help you with IVF with ICSI or other treatments.