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Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection Procedures |
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Written by Webmaster
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Monday, 14 July 2008 |
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Conceiving a baby is a very natural process for most people. There are some, however, who are not able to conceive a child with ease. Today, there are many procedures that can help couples with infertility issues and they are then able to get pregnant. One of those procedures is intracytoplasmic sperm injection, also known as ICSI. This procedure is mainly used when dealing with problems of male infertility and can also be used at times when other methods of in vitro fertilization have not been successful.
ICSI involves accurate maneuvers to successfully pick up one single live sperm and then insert it directly into a human egg. For this procedure to work, the female must take fertility drugs to stimulate the ovaries in order to produce several mature eggs. The eggs are extracted through the vagina. The procedure uses equipment such as inverted microscopes and ultrasound equipment to choose and pick-up sperm one at a time into a specially made tiny hollow needle. The needle is then accurately and very carefully inserted into the egg's outer shell and membrane. The sperm is then inserted into the egg's inner part. Normally, about 70 to 85 percent of eggs that are injected with sperm using this procedure result in fertilization.
As with a large amount of medical procedures, there are some risks involved with intracytoplasmic sperm injection. During the procedure itself, a minute amount of eggs can be damaged when the ICSI needle is inserted. There is also a 4 percent higher risk of the baby having a chromosomal abnormality than with spontaneous conception. There are no answers at this time as to why there is an increased risk with ICSI. However, abnormalities with sex chromosomes carry their own set of risks. Sex chromosome abnormalities are associated with the risk of increased miscarriage, heart problems in infants, an increased chance of infertility in the child once they reach adulthood and also the increased chance of learning disabilities and behavioral problems in the children. However, there is no conclusive evidence that children born using the ICSI technique will experience environmental delays.
Infertility issues are not the first thing that comes to mind when a couple is trying to have a baby. However, the fact is that between 10% and 15% of couples in the United States attempting to have a baby will have infertility problems. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection can be a miraculous procedure for those couples that are having difficulties having a child. With ICSI, the probability of a couple becoming pregnant after having unprotected sex for one month is about 25%. This number goes up drastically to between 85% and 90% after one year of unprotected sex.
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