Step-By-Step Procedure of ICSI

The following steps sum up the ICSI procedure:

Initial Phase

When this process begins, the female patient has to undergo fertility testing. It includes an inspection of the uterus and fallopian tubes and a hormonal analysis. The male will also have to go for his sperm analysis. After checking all of the results and tests, your doctor will get an idea about your health and will recommend the right treatment.

Ovarian Stimulation Phase

In this phase, you will have to stimulate your ovaries to develop as many follicles or egg-containing vesicles as possible. It will be done by injecting hormonal drugs on the second or third day of your period and every day for the next 9 to 12 days. The goal is to develop follicles that produce mature eggs that can be collected and used to achieve pregnancy.

Egg Retrieval and Sperm Collection Phase

Doctors will perform a little surgery to extract mature eggs from your follicle after 36 hours from the trigger shot. They will use ultrasound to insert needles into your pelvic cavity for egg retrieval. They will also retrieve your partner’s sperm on the same day of your egg retrieval. The collected semen is allowed to liquefy for around 30 minutes before being washed to remove debris, immobile sperm, and other undesired particles. They will then analyse the processed semen to check sperm quality. After this, doctors will decide whether IVF or ICSI will be used for infertility treatment.

Fertilization (insemination) & embryo development

About 4 hours after egg retrieval, the sperm sample, washed and concentrated, is added to the eggs. Both the sperm and the eggs are placed in an incubator overnight to be examined the next day for signs of fertilization in the eggs. If the sperm sample appears normal, around 60-70% of eggs may fertilize.

An embryologist may speak with you and discuss the results of fertilization, which may help to alleviate your concerns. The fertilized eggs are then placed in the incubator for an additional 48 hours. The doctor may even recommend Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (IVF) as part of the treatment in case the sperm quality is low (in terms of motility, sperm count, or morphology). IVF is an advanced form of treatment for male infertility in which a single sperm is directly injected into a single mature egg.

Embryo Development

After the eggs and sperm are fertilised, they develop into embryos. After that, they will be kept in an incubator for 5-6 days until they reach the blastocyst stage and then all the embryos are frozen are ready to be transferred into and implanted in the lining of your uterus.

Embryo Transfer

After embryo development, the embryologist will pick one or more blastocysts to be transplanted back into your uterus to grow and make you pregnant. The clinician will insert the blastocyst into the uterine cavity wall, with the help of ultrasound imaging, where it will implant and begin to grow and develop. After two weeks, they will Beta-HCG blood test to confirm pregnancy.

Embryos are nourished in an environment where they can flourish. This environment allows specialists to monitor development, ensuring that embryos receive the resources they require to grow. Monitoring embryo development allows doctors to identify healthy embryos. The grown embryos should meet strict criteria, and then they are chosen for transfer. This selection method increases the likelihood of successful implantation. It is important in the process of achieving pregnancy via IVF treatment.