Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
A single, carefully selected sperm placed directly into a mature egg.
- Single sperm injected directly
- Ideal for male-factor infertility
- Pairs with PESA/TESA & PICSI
About this treatment
ICSI is a specialised refinement of IVF. Instead of leaving eggs and sperm to combine on their own in a dish, an embryologist injects one carefully chosen sperm directly into the centre of each mature egg using a fine glass micropipette under high magnification.
This overcomes problems where sperm struggle to reach or penetrate the egg, which makes ICSI especially powerful for male-factor infertility — low count, poor motility or abnormal shape — and for couples who have had low or failed fertilisation in a previous IVF cycle. It is also used with surgically retrieved sperm (PESA/TESA).
After injection, fertilised eggs are cultured exactly as in IVF and the best embryo is transferred. Where helpful, we use PICSI — a physiological selection step that picks mature, better-quality sperm before injection.
Who it's for
- Severe male-factor infertility (count, motility or shape)
- Low or failed fertilisation in a previous IVF cycle
- Use of surgically retrieved sperm (PESA/TESA)
- Frozen or limited sperm samples
Key benefits
- Achieves fertilisation even with very few or weak sperm
- Helps couples after previous fertilisation failure
- Makes treatment possible with surgically retrieved sperm
- Improves fertilisation rates in difficult cases
Every treatment plan at Shobha IVF is personalised. The details here are a guide — your specialist will tailor each step to your unique situation.
What to expect, step by step
Egg collection
Mature eggs are retrieved exactly as in a standard IVF cycle.
Sperm selection
A single healthy, motile sperm is identified under high magnification (PICSI where indicated).
Injection
The chosen sperm is injected directly into the egg's cytoplasm.
Embryo culture & transfer
Fertilised eggs develop into embryos, and the best is transferred.
ICSI — your questions
Common questions about this treatment. Anything else? Our team is happy to talk it through.
In standard IVF, sperm fertilise the egg on their own in a dish. In ICSI, an embryologist injects one selected sperm directly into the egg — useful when sperm quality or count is the issue.
No method guarantees it, but ICSI substantially improves fertilisation when male-factor problems are the barrier. Your embryologist will report how many eggs fertilised after the procedure.
ICSI has been used worldwide for decades and is considered safe. We counsel couples with specific genetic or male-factor conditions about any individual considerations.
Related treatments
All treatments
FertilityIVF
Our flagship programme, born of an Indo-German collaboration and refined over thousands of cycles.
FertilityIUI
A low-tech, low-cost first step that places prepared sperm directly into the uterus.
FertilityMale Infertility
Dedicated andrology care, from diagnosis to surgical sperm retrieval.
The information on this page is general and educational, and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Fertility outcomes vary from person to person and depend on age, diagnosis and other individual factors; no result is guaranteed. Any success figure shown is a beta-hCG positive (pregnancy-test) rate per embryo transfer at our Solapur centre, which is not a live-birth rate. Please consult our specialists for advice specific to you.