IVF ICSI Assisted Human Reproduction
In-vitro Fertilization (IVF) has been considered the universal procedure in the field of reproductive medicine since 1978 when the first child was conceived using this technique.
The assisted reproduction technology in IVF is a multi-step process by which eggs (oocytes) are obtained from the ovaries of women, then fertilized with sperm from the husband or donor before cultivation in the laboratory.
The stages of IVF:
- Ovarian stimulation (induction of ovulation)
- Follicular puncture
- Fertilization or cryopreservation
- Cultivation of embryos
- The implantation
- The luteal phase
- The diagnosis of pregnancy
In classical IVF, the ovum and the sperm obtained by puncture are placed in a nutritive medium where, according to natural selection, the most active and good sperm enters the oocyte. With the ICSI method, it is the embryologist who injects the selected spermatozoa into the cytoplasm of the oocyte. 
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is done as part of IVF programs to increase the likelihood of fertilization. The procedure involves injecting a sperm into an egg by puncturing under an electron microscope using special instruments. ICSI was first performed in 1992 and is the best treatment for male infertility. ICSI can also be used for infertility of undetermined cause.
An undeniable advantage of the ICSI method is that it provides the desired pregnancy in the event of incurable male infertility. Even if the sperm does not contain active sperm, there are methods of obtaining and using them for ICSI artificial insemination, thus making the need for a donor unnecessary.
Sperm can also be selected by testicular biopsy (in the case of very poor quality sperm). After careful study, the embryologist chooses the most viable and healthy sperm. ICSI allows us to cryopreserve biological material.