ICSI involves directly injecting a single sperm into each egg. This can help improve fertilisation rates for couples who would not be suitable candidates for IVF. You can improve your chances of success with ICSI by first improving the male partner’s sperm quality.

ICSI is recommended in cases of male factor infertility (e.g., low sperm count) or when a patient has gone through an IVF cycle which has resulted in low, or no, fertilisation.

Much of the prep work for ICSI is the same as it is for IVF. The female partner will take stimulatory medications to encourage multiple eggs to grow in her ovaries. Once matured, these eggs will be retrieved during an egg collection procedure.

The difference between IVF and ICSI is the way the eggs are inseminated. During IVF, the prepared eggs and sperm are placed together in a petri dish to allow fertilisation to occur as naturally as possible. During ICSI, a highly trained embryologist will inject a single sperm into each egg to help promote successful fertilisation.

After the eggs have been fertilised, they develop into embryos under the careful watch of the embryology team. When they are ready, the embryo(s) will be placed into the uterus during an embryo transfer procedure. Any additional, good quality, embryos can be frozen for future pregnancy attempts.