"Since ICSI has been introduced... more than 95 percent of males can father their own genetic child."
Paul Devroey and Andre van Steirteghem, 2004
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection, or ICSI, is the process whereby a single sperm is injected into an egg. It is helpful when infertility is linked to sperm problems, such as difficulties with the sperm penetrating the egg or low sperm count. Its success rates are equal to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and it is recommended to more than half of all couples having IVF treatments.
Andre van Steirteghem (b.1940) and colleagues from Vrije Universiteit Brussels were behind the technique. After the birth of Louise Brown, the first successful "test tube" baby IVF was used to treat many couples with fertility problems, but it was found to be least effective in cases of male factor infertility. This began the exploration of new procedures of assisted fertilization. Van Steirteghem's team decided to try micro-injecting a sperm all the way into an egg.
Outcomes for ICSI have been consistent for years, and its use has extended to treat couples who do not have male factor infertility. It should be noted that ICSI carries an increased risk of chromosomal abnormalities and genetic imprinting errors, but the rates of major congenital malformations and early development outcomes are the same for ICSI and IVF children.
