What is ICSI?
ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection) is a specialized micromanipulation procedure performed during an IVF cycle. Under high-power operating microscopes, an expert embryologist selects a single active sperm and injects it directly into the cytoplasm of a mature egg.
ICSI revolutionized reproductive medicine because it allows fertilisation to occur even when sperm count, motility, or morphology is extremely low, or when sperm is retrieved surgically (TESA/Micro-TESE).
Who Benefits From ICSI?
ICSI is recommended for specific clinical indications to overcome natural fertilisation barriers.
Severe Male Factor
Very low sperm count (oligozoospermia), poor motility (asthenozoospermia), or high percentage of abnormal shapes.
Surgically Retrieved Sperm
Sperm obtained via PESA, TESA, or Micro-TESE for azoospermia cases.
Prior IVF Fertilisation Failure
Couples who experienced low or zero fertilisation in a previous standard IVF cycle.
Frozen Eggs or Sperm
Thawed oocytes or cryopreserved sperm samples often require ICSI for optimal fertilisation.
Standard IVF vs. ICSI
Standard IVF
Thousands of sperm placed around an egg in a dish for natural penetration.
ICSI Procedure
One single sperm injected directly into egg cytoplasm using micromanipulators.