Spermiuminjekció

Spermiuminjekció, also known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), is a laboratory technique used in assisted reproductive technology to fertilize an egg by injecting a single sperm directly into the cytoplasm of the oocyte. It is most commonly performed as part of in vitro fertilization (IVF) and differs from conventional IVF in that fertilization does not depend on the sperm’s ability to penetrate the egg.

Indications include severe male factor infertility, notably very low sperm count, poor motility, or abnormal morphology; previous fertilization failure with conventional IVF; azoospermia with retrieval of sperm; or cases where time-sensitive fertilization is advantageous.

In a typical Spermiuminjekció procedure, the female partner undergoes ovarian stimulation to produce multiple eggs, which are retrieved from the ovaries. The retrieved eggs are placed under a microscope, and a single healthy sperm is selected and injected directly into the cytoplasm of each mature egg with a fine glass injection needle. Fertilization is assessed, and resulting embryos are cultured before one or more are transferred to the uterus or frozen for later use.

Outcomes depend on multiple factors; ICSI enables fertilization in cases of male-factor infertility and offers similar overall live birth rates to IVF for many indications, though not necessarily higher in non-male-factor infertility. Risks include standard IVF risks such as ovarian stimulation side effects and multiple pregnancy, and long-term risks remain the subject of research.

ICSI was developed in the early 1990s to address male-factor infertility and has since become a routine and widely used part of IVF practice.