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Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is an assisted reproductive technique, which is used along with IVF treatment. Under this process, a single sperm is injected directly in the cytoplasm of an egg. ICSI treatment procedure was developed to help couples achieve a successful pregnancy.
So, if you are facing male Infertility or have failed to conceive using IVF previously, this may be the right option for you.
Your IVF centre may recommend you IVF-ICSI for treatment of male factor infertility. These are the conditions in which you may require an ICSI procedure:
There are 6 steps involved in ICSI. They are:
After your procedure finishes, your doctor will inject the embryo into your partner’s uterus. All you need to do after that is wait for signs of pregnancy.
ICSI couples with male factor infertility have achieved 70 to 80 per cent of fertilization rate for all eggs injected, which is equivalent to fertilization with normal sperm. The pregnancy rates achieved through ICSI are comparable with those attained through IVF in couples who have no male factor infertility.
Some of the advantages of ICSI include:
Usually, a normal pregnancy has about 1.5 to 3 per cent risk of major congenital disabilities. ICSI has a slightly increased rate of birth defects which is still very rare.
Researches state that babies developed using artificial insemination may have a risk of imprinting defects.
Imprinting is when some genes in the baby act differently depending on the chromosome passed by the father or mother. However, some researchers believe that imprinting defects happen even in a natural pregnancy.
Apart from imprinting defects, needle insertion could damage about 5 per cent of the eggs. Also, chromosome abnormality in ICSI is 4 times more than normal conception.
Some of the issues related to sex chromosome abnormalities:
Although researchers believe that ICSI leads to birth defects, it can also be due to the abnormalities in the couples taking the procedure. If you are planning on taking ICSI treatment, consult with your doctor. They can guide you about the risks and complications related to the ICSI procedure.