How is ICSI different from IVF?

Thanks to the wonders of assisted reproductive technology (ART), researchers and doctors have made many astonishing breakthroughs with several fertility treatments. There has been an exponential growth of many ART procedures during the past decade.  The world of assisted reproductive technology can seem like a minefield, particularly when you’re new to the acronyms, for words you may otherwise not have come across.

What is IVF?

IVF stands for in vitro fertilization. IVF is not a single procedure but a series of procedures. It’s one of the more generally known types of assisted reproductive technology. In vitro fertilization is a Latin phrase that means “in glass” (since early biological experiments involved cultivation of tissues outside the living organism in glass containers such as test tubes or petri dishes).  IVF crafts a controlled environment that comprehensively enhances the opportunity for fertilization of the egg. 

To put it more bluntly, egg and sperm are combined in a lab for IVF treatment (so the “glass” in the name)—incubated, and carefully monitored throughout the fertilization process.  Over the course of 3 to 5 days, successfully fertilized eggs develop into embryos and subsequently, the embryo quality is scrutinized for transfer or freezing or for further culturing and development. For the woman, though, the IVF procedure actually starts weeks earlier.  The specific events of each path in IVF may be similar for all patients, what varies is how their body responds at each stage.

What Is ICSI?

Although ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) has been around since 1992, it’s increasingly being used in recent times to help couples struggling with infertility. ICSI is a specialized procedure of ART that is used mostly commonly in cases of severe male infertility, after failed fertilization attempts with conventional IVF, or after egg freezing (oocyte preservation). ICSI involves injecting a single sperm directly into an egg using a fine glass needle (on contrary to standard IVF where the sperm has to penetrate the egg by itself).  

1. ICSI is typically used in cases of male infertility, including:

• Oligospermia (Very low sperm count)
• Teratozoospermia (increased percentage of morphologically abnormal spermatozoa that affects male fertility )
• Asthenozoospermia(Poor sperm motility)

2. ICSI is also used in cases of retrograde ejaculation (Semen travels into the bladder instead of going out through the urethra during ejaculation). 

3. ICSI can also help men who have obstruction in vasa deferentia (ducts that carry the sperm from the testicles to the urethra for ejaculation such as following vasectomy or trauma) or in cases of congenital absence of the Vas deferens

4.  Other evidence-based reasons for the practice of ICSI include:

Previous IVF cycles having few or no fertilized eggs: ICSI may be tried in the case when a good number of eggs are retrieved, and sperm counts look healthy, but no eggs get fertilized.

• Cryopreserved sperm is being used: ICSI may be recommended when the fresh sperm don’t appear especially active.
• Cryopreserved oocytes are being used: sometimes, vitrification of eggs after egg freezing can cause hardening of the egg’s shell which may set hurdles for fertilization, in that case- IVF with ICSI may help overcome this problem.
• IVM (in vitro maturation) is being used: IVM is an IVF technology where retrieval of immature oocytes from the ovaries with hormonal injections. They undergo the final stages of maturation in the lab culture using hormones or a naturally occurring oocyte protein dimer. More research is still ongoing, but it may be that IVM along with ICSI is a good option. 
• When PGD is performed: PGD (preimplantation genetic diagnosis) is genetic testing of pre-implantation stage embryos or oocytes for genetic defects. ICSI is used commonly  during PGD to eliminate the risk of contamination from extraneous sperm DNA

Difference between ICSI and IVF at a glance:

The ICSI procedure is appropriate for couples with major male factor infertility. IVF will be the best option when sperm count is low but morphology and motility are normal.  Fertility specialists would go for IVF when possible as it allows a more natural selection of the best sperm to ideally fertilize the egg. Sometimes ICSI is chosen when morphology or motility is abnormal. ICSI is very successful even when the sperm motility and morphology are severely impaired.

Guru Hospital is a well-known Infertility Center Madurai with a national and international recognition for infertility-related treatments and IVF services. Guru hospital provides the best ivf treatment in Tamil Nadu and been helping couples fulfil their dreams to become parents with expert treatments and dedicated care. The Infertility Specialists in Madurai offer you the entire range of treatments and services to assist you in your journey to having a child. These include preconception counselling and testing, IUI, IVF, ICSI, Pre-genetic Diagnosis, sexual dysfunction treatment and ICSI Treatment in India as well as gynaecologic surgeries. 

They aim to provide reliable, high quality, personalized care for patients and to treat infertility-related conditions as well as other areas of women’s care, by adopting sophisticated technologies, and thereby be a one stop solution centre for infertility.

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