ICSI

• The cost of Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) Procedure in India ranges between USD 500 to USD 1000.
• IVF with ICSI increases pregnancy success rate. About 85% of eggs, injected using ICSI, become fertilized.
• The success rate depends on various factors including quality of eggs, ICSI technique used and quality of laboratory.
• Several screening tests required before ICSI are blood tests, ultrasound scan, and semen analysis.

Treatment Cost

More About Treatment

ICSI is an enhanced fertilization procedure through In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) to treat sperm-related infertility problems by injecting a single sperm into a mature egg. The fertilized egg is then transferred into a woman’s uterus or fallopian tube.

Fertilisation, at times, could not be assisted by traditional IVF procedures or due to low sperm motility or morphological sperms, an IVF treatment could not accept the sperms. The couples go through to take that chance of conceiving is painful and stressful.

The best solution to eliminate male infertility is ICSI which overcomes barriers to pregnancy with the best-personalized treatment for you and your partner.
In fact, ICSI has been increasingly applied to treat severe male infertility problems around the world.

Diagnosis for ICSI

ICSI treatment is followed when there is a severe male infertility problem. This problem may arise due to the following:

• Genetic condition
• Environmental factors
• Little or no sperm count
• Low motility
• Abnormal sperms

Treatment is also done when repeated IVF has not been successful. Also, if the male partner has had a reverse vasectomy, ICSI is also recommended.

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Diagnostic tests

You and your partner will be asked to go through several screening tests like blood tests, ultrasound scan and IVF. The male partner is required to go through a semen analysis.

Men who have little or no sperm count should take a genetic test as some inheritable condition may be passed on. To be aware of the possible chance of having a child with birth defects, couples having chromosomal problems are advised to go through counselling before treatment. Screening for cystic fibrosis is performed as well.

Helpful:How is ICSI performed?

Procedure

Before Procedure

• Female partner:Ovaries are stimulated by means of hormonal injections to develop several mature eggs instead of a single egg produced every month for fertilisation. To monitor this stage of treatment, ultrasound scans and blood tests, if needed are done. When eggs reached an appropriate size, further injection is given to ensure the eggs are mature. There is also a strategic timing associated with the injection to collect the eggs after 36 hours.
• Male partner:If the male partner has no sperm count, a surgical procedure may be done where sperms will be collected from the:
  • Epididymis, the procedure is known as Percutaneous Epididymal Sperm Aspiration (PESA), or
  • Testicle, and is known as Testicular Sperm Aspiration (TESA)

Local anaesthesia will be performed, and the patient will feel no pain.If these procedures do not remove enough sperm, then a testicular biopsy may be taken as sperms and are attached to the tissue. This is called Testicular Sperm Extraction (TESE) and if the surgery is performed with a microscope, it is called micro-TESE. General anaesthesia is administered during this procedure. Any pain experienced during this could be treated with pain killers.The sperms retrieved from this are then frozen or used on the same day.

During Procedure

• When the eggs are ready for collection, the male and female partner will undergo different procedures.
• The female partner is given intravenous sedation to collect the eggs. An ultrasound probe is then placed into the vagina, then a needle is inserted through the vaginal and into the ovary to retrieve the eggs. There may be slight pain and it is recommended to rest at the clinic before going home.
• If a sperm production by the male partner himself, through ejaculation, does not happen, the embryologist uses a live sperm from the bank, prepared by centrifuging. This is then picked up in a glass needle and injected into a mature egg. It is kept into a dish to incubate and left overnight to allow fertilisation.
• With fertilisation an embryo develops and expands, it will be cultured up to six days.The best embryosare then carefully transplanted to the womb after two to five days after fertilisation, where implantation begins. Depending on your age and other information, the doctor will recommend injecting one to three embryos.

Clickhereto knowabout how successful is ICSI

After Procedure

• For the female partner, the procedure of shots, monitoring and implanting could be a painful and draining experience emotionally and physically. It is recommended to avoid strenuous activities after the procedure.
• A date will be given to check the pregnancy test. You will be given further medication to support your pregnancy. Further, the ultrasound scan will be performed to confirm in six to seven weeks of gestation to confirm a heartbeat.
• If one cycle of ISCI is not successful, another cycle could be performed.

FAQs

Q: What is ICSI?
A: ICSI is the most advanced Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) to enhance fertilization through IVF by injecting a single sperm into a mature egg.

Q: Why should I consider ICSI?
A: ICSI is most suitable for men with a severe infertility problem. ICSI is suitable for the patients with:

• Low motility sperms
• Low or no sperm counts
• High abnormal sperms
• Failed IVF treatments

Q: What are the advantages of ICSI?
A: It is the most advanced and successful procedure to achieve pregnancy so far. If the male partner is unable to ejaculate sperms on the day of egg collection, a single sperm can be extracted. The success rate of fertilization is about 70 – 85% which is higher than other conventional treatments.

Q: What are the success rates for women?
A: Success rate depends upon factors like age of the female patient and fertility. Women below 35 years have the highest chance of success rate with 44% while it decreases to 2% and below after 45 years.

Q: What is the difference between a standard IVF and ICSI?
A: In a standard IVF, up to 10,000 sperms are placed next to an egg for fertilization to take place. In ISCI, a single sperm is injected into a mature egg.

Q: How long does it take to perform the procedure?
A: The procedure takes around 4 – 6 weeks for one cycle of ICSI.

Q: How long is the hospitalisation?
A: It only takes half a day to extract a sperm and implant it in the mature egg. The patients are treated like out-patients.

Q: What are the disadvantages of ICSI?
A: Its disadvantages are:

• It is more expensive than standard IVF
• There may be a higher risk of neonatal abnormalities
• A slight increase risk in passing on the genetic problem by one sperm

Q: How soon can I start again if the procedure failed?
A: Depending on the doctor’s advice and your health, it may be between 2 – 3 periods after.

Q: How soon can I travel after the procedure?
A: Depending on your doctor, you can travel at least after a day rest. And if it is by air, on an average, it takes 2 – 3 days and up to 5 days.

Q: How much does it cost?
A: The cost for one cycle of ICSI depends on certain factors like the number of ICSI cycles, location of the hospital, hospital amenities, experience of the surgeon.