Learn how ICSI is used in cases of male infertility and how it differs from conventional IVF at Janini IVF, Delhi.
Best ICSI Treatment in Delhi
What is ICSI?
ICSI or intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection is basically a technique of fertilization. Instead of millions of sperm surrounding the eggs in a petri dish (like how it happens in conventional IVF procedure), here in ICSI, a single sperm is picked up and it is injected with the help of a micro-pipette inside a single egg. Once the sperm is injected into the egg, the rest of the process of growth and cell division for embryo development is just similar to general IVF cases. This procedure is now considered to be one of the most advanced, essential and highly effective treatment of assisted conception the world over. Many clinics around the world have incorporated ICSI technique to be used for ALL their patients (instead of conventional IVF) regardless of the type of infertility. At Janini IVF, you are provided with the best icsi treatment in Delhi NCR.
How was ICSI invented?
It is rather interesting to know that ICSI was discovered purely out of an accident. The Embryologists at the Brussels university IVF Centre were trying to do another procedure called SUZI or sub-zonal insemination, in which, the sperm is injected just beneath the outer layer (zona). The sperm inadvertently went all the way inside. Much to their astonishment and happiness, the egg fertilised and developed into a wonderful embryo. They had the first baby born out of this technique in 1992. Ever since, ICSI is a part of an essential armamentarium in any good IVF centre.
Whom does it help?
- It is easy to understand that conventional IVF procedure required millions of sperm surround the egg. Here in ICSI we need just 1 per egg!!
This is a blessing to couples who have male infertility. This just means that suppose if we have harvested 10 eggs of the wife at the end of the egg retrieval all we need is 10 good sperm for ICSI. ICSI is a blessing to all men who would not have been able to be a father otherwise.
- Severe oligospermia (sperm count < 5 million/ml)
- Azoospermia - either due to obstruction or due to testicular failure (here the sperms are extracted from the testis directly after doing a micro-TESE)
- Teratospermia - this is a condition where most of the sperm in a sample are abnormal in morphology
- Asthenospermia - here the percentage of progressively motile sperm is <32%. Simply put, sperms are too slow to be used for IVF. Even when the motility is ZERO (Kartagener’s syndrome) we can have a successful result with ICSI.
- Presence of high anti-sperm antibodies
- High DNA fragmentation of the sperm (high DFI)
- Cases where previous IVF attempt has led to total fertilisation failure
- Fertilising vitrified warmed oocytes
- Patients who have their sperm frozen for cancer therapy.
- When we are doing PGS on the embryos
- Serodiscordant couples
In most or all of these above cases, today, every one can be a father by the use of the ICSI technique. Previously, there was no option but to use sperm from a donor bank. But today, “no male is infertile.”
What is further heartening is that there is ample evidence out there published in medical journals that ICSI is a totally safe procedure. It DOES NOT lead to increased congenital anomalies nor does it impact childhood development in any way. Children born out of ICSI have already reached adulthood and most of them have their own children now. ICSI born babies also have normal neuromuscular development and normal IQ.
How is ICSI performed?
- The mature egg or “M2” is held with a specialised holding pipette
- A very delicate, sharp and hollow needle is used to immobilise and then pick up a single sperm. Selecting the best sperm is a critical step here which defines the skill of the embryologist performing the procedure
- This needle is then carefully inserted through the Zona (shell of egg) and in to the cytoplasm of the egg.
- The sperm is injected in to the cytoplasm and the needle carefully removed.
- The eggs are checked the next morning for evidence of normal fertilisation
Providing the best Infertility treatment in West Delhi , our chief embryologist and laboratory director, Dr. Akanksha Mishra must have an experience of more than 12000 cases of ICSI procedure in her 15 years of being an Embryologist. We, at Janini IVF, are proud to state a fact that Dr. Mishra was one of the faculty at the University of Oxford, UK to train her juniors in the ICSI procedure. Her thesis at the Oxford University where she has done extensive work in research was titled “The role of PLC zeta of sperm in fertilisation and embryonic development”. This work could pave the way forward in revolutionising the treatment of difficult cases of infertility in the years to come. Unlike other centres that mostly have “fly-by” Embryologists, who are always in a hurry, we here have Dr. Mishra’s services available full-time for scientific excellence.
Janini IVF commits the highest possible dedication and perseverance to bring about par excellent success rates for your ICSI treatment in Delhi.
What are the steps of ICSI treatment?
Essentially, ICSI is just a way of fertilising the egg. So, except the fertilisation part all other steps are similar to IVF like - Pre-IVF assessment, ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval, sperm collection, ICSI, embryo culture and finally, embryo transfer. Please go through our IVF page to learn more about the whole process.
Frequently asked questions
ICSI will definitely have better success rates than IVF in male factor infertility. In cases where frozen eggs are used or when the wife has endometriosis also, ICSI is preferred. Essentially pregnancy rates otherwise will be similar to IVF. At Janini IVF, we are committed to provide you the Best success in ICSI treatment. Having best qualified and experienced team of clinicians and embryologists at Janini IVF and incorporating the best up-to-date technology, you can expect 70% results per embryo transfer attempt with us.
Sperm is taken from the testis only if the husband is suffering from
Azoospermia or Zero sperms in ejaculate. This procedure, if done by a fine needle is called Testicular Sperm Aspiration or TESA for short. If there is a previous attempt at TESA elsewhere and it has failed, we do a very elaborate and meticulous procedure called micro-TESE at Janini IVF. Micro TESE is indeed a huge blessing for even those patients who were told to have zero sperms in testis also and were simply told to go for donor sperm. It is published in medical literature that
even after failing to retrieve sperms from a simple TESA procedure, a micro-TESE would successfully retrieve sperms in more than half of such cases. Dr. Dalal, medical director of Janini IVF has taken extensive training of micro TESE from India and abroad. He has extensive experience in microTESE and Janini IVF stands to be a great ray of hope to those men who wish to have their own genetic child.
TESE is usually a day care procedure and you do not need to worry about it at all. There won’t be any damage to your testis as this is a micro-surgical procedure. Again, no need to have overnight stay at hospital and you will be discharged in the evening along with your wife.
Unfortunately no. Human reproduction is not a perfect process. No matter how hard we try, no matter even if we give the best brands of injections for stimulation some eggs will be chromosomally abnormal (defective). These eggs are impossible to be made out to be defective just by looking at them, and after doing ICSI on them some would not progress to embryos. It is impossible to tell how many of your eggs would make good embryos, however, what we can do assure you is that our embryology laboratory at Janini IVF, the
best IVF clinic in Delhi, would be the best possible environment for them to grow. So if they were normal and were supposed to develop into good grade embryos, they certainly will.
ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection) is an advanced form of IVF in which a single sperm is injected directly into an egg using a fine needle under high-powered microscopy. It is used when the sperm count is very low, motility is poor, or previous IVF cycles have had low or failed fertilisation. ICSI gives couples with severe male factor infertility the best possible chance of conception.
In standard IVF, eggs and sperm are placed together in a dish and fertilisation happens naturally. In ICSI, a single selected sperm is injected directly into each egg by the embryologist. ICSI is the preferred approach when sperm quality is compromised, as it removes the barrier of sperm needing to penetrate the egg independently.
ICSI is recommended when there is a low sperm count (oligospermia), poor sperm motility, abnormal sperm shape, a history of failed fertilisation in a previous IVF cycle, or when sperm has been surgically retrieved. It is also used when frozen sperm samples are being used, or when the number of eggs available is limited.
The embryologist performs the ICSI procedure and is the most critical factor in its success. At Janini IVF, ICSI is carried out by Dr. Akanksha Mishra, one of India's most experienced clinical embryologists, with over 17 years of practice and more than 15,000 successful cycles. Her expertise in sperm selection and microinjection technique directly determines fertilisation outcomes.
Large studies show no significant increase in birth defect rates with ICSI compared to natural conception. The marginally higher rate observed in some studies likely reflects the underlying male factor condition rather than the procedure itself. Your doctor will discuss the evidence at your consultation.
Yes. When there is no sperm in the ejaculate, sperm can be surgically retrieved from the testes and used directly for ICSI. Janini IVF offers in-house surgical sperm retrieval and has specialist expertise in treating azoospermia.
