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Treatment & Storage options
Treatments
Intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) 

What is ICSI?

Intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) differs from conventional in vitro fertilisation (IVF) in that the embryologist selects a single sperm to be injected directly into an egg, instead of fertilisation taking place in a dish where many sperm are placed near an egg.  

Is ICSI for me?

ICSI enables fertilisation to happen when there are very few sperm available.

Your clinic may recommend ICSI if:

  • you have a very low sperm count

  • other problems with the sperm have been identified, such as poor morphology (abnormal shape) or poor motility (not moving normally)

  • during previous attempts at IVF there was failure of fertilisation or an unexpectedly low fertilisation rate

  • you need sperm to be collected surgically from the testicles or epididymis (a narrow tube inside the scrotum, where sperm are stored and matured); for example because you have had a vasectomy, you do not ejaculate sperm, or because you have extremely low sperm production

  • you are using frozen sperm in your treatment which is not of optimum quality

  • you are using embryo testing.

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