Visit us in San Francisco
Academic standards. Pioneering research. Personalized care. Start your journey at the UCSF Center for Reproductive Health, located in Northern California's San Francisco Bay Area.
Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is a technique to inject a single sperm into an egg outside the body.
ICSI transformed the field of reproductive technology by offering men with severe sperm problems their first opportunity to have children.
The technique involves using a microscope to visualize the sperm. An embryologist selects a single live sperm in a glass needle and injects it directly into the egg. Click here to see a video of ICSI from our lab. Fertilization rates using ICSI average about 70-80%.
ICSI is very commonly used in a variety of settings, including:
- Abnormal sperm parameters
- Prior poor fertilization rates using conventional insemination in an IVF cycle
- Unexplained infertility
- Low anticipated egg count
- Patients undergoing preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic disorders (PGT-M)
Visit us in San Francisco
Academic standards. Pioneering research. Personalized care. Start your journey at the UCSF Center for Reproductive Health, located in Northern California's San Francisco Bay Area.
