What Is ICSI (Micro-injection)?

ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection — micro-injection) is the method in which fertilisation is achieved by injecting a single sperm directly into the egg with a special needle under the microscope.

Whereas in conventional IVF the sperm and egg are placed in the same medium and fertilisation is left to occur on its own, in ICSI fertilisation is carried out directly by the embryologist. This achieves high fertilisation rates even in male-factor cases where the sperm count or motility is low.

Today ICSI is the standard fertilisation method in most modern IVF centres. At Clavis IVF Center our experienced embryology team selects the healthiest sperm and performs micro-injection for each egg; the same method is also used with sperm obtained by TESE.

Key Points

• A single sperm is injected directly into the egg
• High fertilisation even in male-factor infertility
• The standard fertilisation method of modern IVF
• Can also be used with TESE-retrieved sperm