Category Archives: ICSI
How One Good Sperm Can Get You Get Pregnant Using ICSI
Using Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) technology in conjunction with IVF, our expert embryologists will directly inject one good sperm into each egg. Knowing more about the ICSI process and its effectiveness can help you understand if this IVF ancillary treatment option is something you should consider.
ICSI in Conjunction with IVF
In order to be considered fertile, a man’s sperm must:
- Be present in sufficient quantities
- Be shaped normally
- Swim in the correct direction
- Swim at the right speed
Should any of these functions be diagnosed as abnormal, a man may not be able to impregnate a woman because his sperm cannot penetrate her egg. A man may be infertile even if he produces adequate quantities of sperm in ejaculate. Should his sperm be misshaped or not move correctly, fertilization will be difficult, if not impossible.
How ICSI Works in Tandem with IVF
ICSI may be used whenever male fertility is a concern. The process can address issues with the shape and movement of sperm and compensate for low sperm count. If sperm are produced but are not present in semen, they can be manually retrieved and then used in the ICSI process. The process may also be suggested to couples who have had low fertilization rates during other cycles.
ICSI and IVF Process
ICSI is performed in conjunction with IVF. Once retrieved, each egg is injected with a single sperm in a laboratory setting. The eggs are then monitored for signs of fertilization. The resulting embryos are closely monitored as they develop through EmbryoScope technology. Healthy embryos are then transferred to the mother’s uterus, or frozen for future Frozen Embryo Transfers (FET).
ICSI and IVF Pregnancy Success
While pregnancy success may vary based on the quality of the sperm, typically between 75 and 85 percent of eggs become fertilized with the use of ICSI. Our Pregnancy Success Rates are largely a function of the health of the embryo, which is largely tied to the quality of both the eggs and sperm.
Revolutionary Mini-IVF™
Because lower dosages of fertility medications are prescribed to only produce 3 to 5 high quality eggs, the patient’s cost per Mini-IVF™ cycle is reduced. With a Mini-IVF™ protocol, the patient’s physical discomfort is lessened because her body is not forced into producing the 10 to 15 eggs reached in a Conventional IVF cycle.
Candidates for Mini-IVF™
Mini-IVF™ is the best treatment protocol for those women who have been:
- Diagnosed with blocked or damaged Fallopian tubes due to endometriosis
- Diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
- Diagnosed as having a risk of developing Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS)
- Diagnosed with a low ovarian reserve due to endometriosis
- Diagnosed with cancer and are about to undergo treatment
Mini-IVF™ has also become the preferred treatment protocol for:
- Those patients who have failed multiple Conventional IVF cycles
- Those patients suffering from male-factor infertility
- Those patients wanting to reduce their costs of treatment
- Those patients wanting to reduce their risk of multiple pregnancy
- Those patients who don’t want to create excessive embryos due to religious reasons
- Those patients who want to reduce their use of injectable medications because of an aversion to needles
- Those patients who want to undergo another fresh IVF cycle immediately after a failed cycle
ICSI Expertise
It is important to work with a fertility doctor using cutting-edge ICSI technology and expertise to help get you pregnant using one good sperm. To schedule your initial consultation with Dr. John Zhang at New Hope Fertility Center – call 917.525.5496.
How ICSI Technology Treats Male-Factor Infertility
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) is a method of addressing male-factor infertility through IVF treatment. Rather than allowing fertilization to happen by combining eggs and sperm in a lab dish, ICSI is the injection of a single sperm directly into an egg in order to facilitate fertilization. Knowing more about the ICSI process and its effectiveness can help you understand if this IVF ancillary treatment option is something you should consider.
ICSI in Conjunction with IVF
In order to be considered fertile, a man’s sperm must:
- Be present in sufficient quantities
- Be shaped normally
- Swim in the correct direction
- Swim at the right speed
Should any of these functions be diagnosed as abnormal, a man may not be able to impregnate a woman because his sperm cannot penetrate her egg. A man may be infertile even if he produces adequate quantities of sperm in ejaculate. Should his sperm be misshaped or not move correctly, fertilization will be difficult, if not impossible.
How ICSI Works in Tandem with IVF
ICSI may be used whenever male fertility is a concern. The process can address issues with the shape and movement of sperm and compensate for low sperm count. If sperm are produced but are not present in semen, they can be manually retrieved and then used in the ICSI process. The process may also be suggested to couples who have had low fertilization rates during other cycles.
ICSI and IVF Process
ICSI is performed in conjunction with IVF. Once retrieved, each egg is injected with a single sperm in a laboratory setting. The eggs are then monitored for signs of fertilization. The resulting embryos are closely monitored as they develop through EmbryoScope technology. Healthy embryos are then transferred to the mother’s uterus, or frozen for future Frozen Embryo Transfers (FET).
ICSI and IVF Pregnancy Success
While pregnancy success may vary based on the quality of the sperm, typically between 75 and 85 percent of eggs become fertilized with the use of ICSI. Our Pregnancy Success Rates are largely a product of the health of the embryo, which is largely tied to the quality of both the eggs and sperm.
Revolutionary Mini-IVF™
Because lower dosages of fertility medications are prescribed to only produce 3 to 5 high quality eggs, the patient’s cost per Mini-IVF™ cycle is reduced. With a Mini-IVF™ protocol, the patient’s physical discomfort is lessened because her body is not forced into producing the 10 to 15 eggs reached in a Conventional IVF cycle.
Candidates for Mini-IVF™
Mini-IVF™ is the best treatment protocol for those women who have been:
- Diagnosed with blocked or damaged Fallopian tubes due to endometriosis
- Diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
- Diagnosed as having a risk of developing Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS)
- Diagnosed with a low ovarian reserve due to endometriosis
- Diagnosed with cancer and are about to undergo treatment
Mini-IVF™ has also become the preferred treatment protocol for:
- Those patients who have failed multiple Conventional IVF cycles
- Those patients suffering from male-factor infertility
- Those patients wanting to reduce their costs of treatment
- Those patients wanting to reduce their risk of multiple pregnancy
- Those patients who don’t want to create excessive embryos due to religious reasons
- Those patients who want to reduce their use of injectable medications because of an aversion to needles
- Those patients who want to undergo another fresh IVF cycle immediately after a failed cycle
ICSI Expertise
It is important to work with a fertility doctor having the expertise required to design a customized IVF treatment protocol meeting your personal needs. To schedule your initial consultation with Dr. John Zhang at New Hope Fertility Center – call 917.525.5496.
How ICSI Enhances IVF Treatment
Male reproductive issues are just as likely to cause a couple’s infertility as female issues. Male fertility issues include low sperm count, the absence of sperm, issues with sperm movement, and abnormal sperm shape. Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) is a cutting edge medical technique used in conjunction with IVF to increase the chances of a sperm fertilizing an egg. ICSI is a form of micromanipulation that involves the injection of a single sperm directly into the cytoplasm of a mature egg (oocyte) using a glass needle (pipette). If there is any problem with a sperm’s ability to fertilize the egg (either due to low sperm count or poor sperm quality) ICSI is the most common and accurate method for solving it. Our colleagues were part of the original Belgian team that developed ICSI, and who first introduced it in the U.S. Eggs are retrieved in the same way as if you were doing conventional IVF, however, the eggs and the sperm are then fertilized in the laboratory, by direct injection of a single sperm into each egg. Two to five days later the resulting embryos are placed into the uterus (without surgery), just as with IVF procedures and any other embryos can be frozen for later using our method of vitrification.
ICSI Enhances IVF Treatment
In order to fertilize an egg, sperm must be able to penetrate the egg. This is a problem if there are a low number of sperm, if sperm are abnormally shaped, or if the sperm is not motile enough to reach and penetrate into the egg.
ICSI addresses all of these issues.
- An egg is surgically retrieved via IVF
- A single sperm is placed in a small syringe attached to a tiny needle
- A single egg is held and the single sperm is injected into the middle of the egg
- The egg is then monitored for signs of fertilization
Why Opt For ICSI In Conjunction With IVF?
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) is an innovative method of fertilizing eggs in conjunction with In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). By using ICSI in conjunction with IVF, we can greatly increase the chances of achieving a healthy embryo and a successful pregnancy.
How ICSI in Conjunction with IVF Works
ICSI is an in vitro (laboratory) procedure that involves injecting a single sperm directly into an egg for fertilization. This is a great option for men who would otherwise be considered infertile due to low sperm count, low motility, or other fertility complications.
The sperm can be removed directly from the man’s fresh ejaculate that has been washed and prepared in the laboratory. Once a single sperm has been immobilized, it is retrieved into a micropipette and then injected directly into an egg.
ICSI boasts a very high success rate and has no harmful effect on the resulting embryos. In fact, over 100,000 babies have been born this way.
ICSI is not just for men who are infertile. At New Hope Fertility Center, ICSI is used as a standard ancillary procedure to IVF because it results in higher fertilization rates of the eggs. Higher quality egg fertilization rates results in more high quality embryos.
Sperm Extraction Techniques
For men that do not have enough sperm in their ejaculate, we can still extract the sperm needed to fertilize the eggs through other methods:
- Microsurgery – In many cases, we can retrieve sperm directly from the man’s testicles through a microsurgical process. This surgery is done under local anesthesia and takes just a few minutes. Most men report little to no pain during recovery.
- Fine needle aspiration – This option also extracts sperm from the testicles and is a good fit for men who do not wish to or are unable to undergo surgery. Instead, a thin needle is inserted into the testicle to extract the sperm.
Using testicular sperm for IVF has virtually the same success rates for fertilization as using ejaculated sperm. The only drawback is that testicular sperm does not freeze as well for future use. It is more practical to fertilize eggs with the testicular extracted sperm and freeze the resulting embryos.
Learn More about ICSI in Conjunction with IVF
Dr. Zhang is a highly trained fertility specialist and can answer any questions you may have about the process of ICSI in conjunction with IVF. Here at the New Hope Fertility Center, we offer ICSI to all of our IVF patients at no extra charge. Dr. Zhang will work with you and your partner to design a customized IVF protocol that is most appropriate to your medical history and personal preferences. Call us at 917.525.5496 to schedule your first consultation. We look forward to helping you conceive.
How ICSI Enhances IVF Pregnancy Success
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) is a method of addressing male-factor infertility during In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) treatment. Rather than allowing fertilization to happen by combining eggs and sperm in a lab dish, ICSI entails the injection of a single sperm directly into an egg in order to facilitate fertilization. Knowing more about the ICSI process, and its effectiveness, can help you decide if this ancillary treatment in conjunction with IVF is an option for you.
ICSI in Conjunction with IVF
In order to be considered fertile, a man’s sperm must:
- Be present in sufficient quantities
- Be shaped normally
- Swim in the correct direction
- Swim at the right speed
Should any of these functions be diagnosed as abnormal, a man may not be able to impregnate a woman because his sperm cannot penetrate her egg. A man may be infertile even if he produces adequate quantities of sperm in ejaculate. Should his sperm be misshaped or not move correctly, fertilization will be difficult, if not impossible.Read more: How ICSI Enhances IVF Pregnancy Success
