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Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)

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Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) Services at RGI

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is an extremely effective reproductive treatment that addresses several common fertility challenges, including low sperm count.

Parents-to-be who’ve been frustrated with natural conception or certain fertility treatments may have excellent outcomes with ICSI. This procedure is used in combination with in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Naturally, pregnancy begins when a male reproductive cell (sperm) penetrates a female reproductive cell (egg). However, sometimes this process is not possible. This may be because the egg has an outer wall which is hard to penetrate. Or, it might be because the sperm has issues with motility and can’t swim towards the eggs.

In these cases, an ICSI treatment before IVF can help address these issues.

What is Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection?

The goal of ICSI is to transfer a single sperm cell into an egg using a special syringe called a micropipette. This procedure is broken down into the following steps:

  1. The treatment begins with ovarian induction which encourages the development of mature eggs.
  2. Transvaginal ultrasound aspiration is performed to harvest the eggs. This is a 20 minute, minimally invasive procedure that only needs mild sedation.
  3. If there is a male infertility issue due to low sperm motility, a semen sample is collected. This can either be via ejaculation or a minimally invasive surgical sperm retrieval. The surgical option is only considered in circumstances where ejaculation is not possible or if no sperm are present in the ejaculate fluid due to an obstruction or vasectomy.
  4. The semen sample is placed in a centrifuge. This is done to isolate the healthy sperm from the malformed, non-living sperm and detritus. This step maximizes the chances of successful fertilization.
  5. After the injection is performed, the egg is monitored for signs of fertilization.
  6. Once the embryo is established, it is inserted into the uterine cavity.

What are the advantages of ICSI?

ICSI is frequently recommended as a supplement to IVF to maximize the chances of pregnancy. This is especially true in cases where male infertility is recognized or suspected. Fertilization rates for ICSI are extremely high in cases of suboptimal male fertility.

Often, parents-to-be opt for ICSI when fertility challenges cannot be definitively identified or when standard IVF has failed to yield a full-term pregnancy.

Why should I consider ICSI?

If you are experiencing the following reproductive issues, ICSI might be an excellent solution.

  • Male infertility
  • Vasectomy reversal
  • Unexplained infertility
  • Previous IVF failures
  • Recurrent pregnancy loss

Different fertility treatments are designed to address specific issues with fertility. ICSI is a procedure that is overwhelmingly recommended when sperm quality or quantity is a contributing factor. While it might seem more efficient to opt for ICSI to optimize chances of fertilization, when optimal sperm parameters are present, IVF is equally likely to result in success.

At Reproductive Gynecology & Infertility, we help parents-to-be find treatment options that address their unique circumstances. Our team of caring reproductive specialists offers decades of experience in correcting a variety of fertility issues and helping a diverse population welcome healthy, beautiful babies into their families.

We are proud of our high success rates – so proud that we are willing to offer a 100% IVF guarantee. We have served the Northeast Ohio community for more than 20 years, helping parents achieve successful pregnancies and welcome beautiful babies. To learn more about our services, please call 866-862-5861 today.

Begin Your Preservation Journey Today. Connect With Our Team Regarding Our Fast Track Fertility Preservation Program.

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What Our Patients Say About Us

There is no one better than Dr. Maseelall❤️ She gave us two little miracles at once!! Thankful for the family she helped us create!!
We were patients of Dr Nash but Dr Jain did my egg retrieval and we are so thankful for him and his part in helping us grow our family! ❤️
So appreciative of Dr. Maseelall! Always so kind during our journey and ready to listen to me. That was important to us. She helped bring us our miracle!
So grateful for Dr. Nash who gave us our sweet 15 month old! He’s the most straightforward yet compassionate Dr and I loved working with him! ♥️♥️
Dr Nash!!!!! There aren’t enough words to describe our thankfulness and appreciation for you. We have our sweet Charlotte because of you. Thank you, thank you!!!!!! -Angela and Dan Gossard (2022)
What an amazing and rewarding event to put on! It’s not often the the doctors and nurses get to see the end result. Seeing so many pictures of the families you’ve helped build is just amazing! So thankful for Dr. Jain and his staff for giving us our blessing!
RGI made our dreams come true! And Samantha’s gift of hope….there really aren’t words to express how they changed our lives. We won their grant in 2019 and it has continued to bless us several years later. Every time we make a financial decision I think of SGH and how I don’t know if it’d be possible if it wasn’t for them.
RGI and Samantha’s Gift of Hope has forever changed our lives in the best way possible because they have given us the greatest gift we could ever get—our sweet daughter. We have this joy of being parents we had previously only dreamed about, and honestly weren’t sure we would ever have. Now, everyday is filled with baby giggles and snuggles, cheering her on to her next milestone (which is currently crawling), and trying to be the best parents we can be. We will never be able to repay RGI and Samantha’s Gift of Hope, but we will forever be grateful to them and are daily reminded of it.
RGI made it possible for us to experience the joys of becoming parents. There is no greater feeling or love in this world that we’ve experienced than bringing Liam into this world. We truly understand the miracle and blessings babies are. SGOH we will forever feel grateful for. We cannot thank Lisa, Matt and Sam enough for their generosity and helping couples pay towards their IVF journeys. Honestly, SGOH really does provide HOPE. Winning the grant also helped us to feel like this is really happening, it’s meant to be.
Because of Samantha’s Gift of Hope, our dream of having a child came true. We could focus more on each step of the process and keep a positive attitude through it all instead of constantly worrying about what things cost and how we would make it work. Now, our sweet Tenley girl is 1 week old and I continue to be thankful each day for the opportunity Samantha’s Gift of Hope gave us. We are now living out our favorite roles as mom and dad and are filled with so much love for our little girl!
“RGI is amazing, start to finish. They never make you feel anything but comfortable. Thank you all for your compassion and care!”
“Thank you for everything the RGI team has done for our family! Everyone has been amazing, and we are grateful for your skills.”
“A wonderful place! I would highly recommend RGI to anyone who is in the same position as me and my husband.”
“Thank you! Everyone is extremely caring and professional. I wouldn’t go anywhere else!”
“RGI went above and beyond to make my husband and me comfortable and happy with the care they gave us!”
“We had a wonderful experience with the RGI staff during our IVF cycle. All staff were kind, friendly and very informative! We felt comfortable at every visit and each procedure. The staff at RGI are wonderful and made our IVF journey a great experience. We are so thankful!”

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