ICSI helps men with sperm challenges become fathers

The doctors at our Nashville fertility clinic have found that some couples experiencing infertility require ICSI, or intracytoplasmic sperm injection. This treatment can help overcome issues with sperm quality or quantity. It is an incredibly effective procedure consisting of an embryologist injecting a single live sperm into the center of a mature egg.

Who needs ICSI?

Each patient is unique and will require a different fertility treatment plan to conceive a healthy baby. There are many reasons why patients might need the revolutionary support of IVF with intracytoplasmic sperm injection at our Nashville fertility clinic.

• Sperm problems. Issues with sperm, including a low count, motility issues or an abnormal shape, could make a man a good candidate for ICSI.
• Sperm antibodies. Sperm antibodies attack and weaken sperm, which makes sperm unable to fertilize eggs. This procedure can help in this situation.
• Impenetrable eggs. Sometimes, sperm cannot penetrate the egg without the help of ICSI.

While our doctors can overcome many of these issues through IVF, the sperm must be capable of achieving fertilization. When fertilization is not possible through regular IVF, assisted fertilization is the most effective option.

When should we use ICSI?

When patients have experienced failed fertilization in previous IVF cycles or have a very low sperm count, we will often recommend ICSI.

In some situations, this procedure is used with micro surgical epididymal sperm aspiration (MESA) or testicular epididymal sperm extraction (TESE) to collect the sperm. Our team can fertilize the eggs using sperm retrieved during these procedures. After fertilization, the embryos’ development is no different than embryos fertilized during a standard IVF cycle. The chance of pregnancy is also the same.

With the support of the expert embryologists and fertility doctors at our Nashville fertility clinic, many patients can move beyond infertility and achieve a healthy pregnancy. Contact us for more information about ICSI.