ICSI stands for intra cytoplasmic sperm injection. In normal IVF, many sperm are placed together with an egg, in hopes that one of the sperm will enter and fertilize the egg. With ICSI, the embryologist takes a single sperm and injects it directly into an egg. ICSI is used in cases of severe male infertility, including low sperm count ,abnormally shaped sperm , Poor sperm movement .

If a man does not have any sperm in his ejaculate, but he is producing sperm, they may be retrieved through testicular sperm extractio.

ICSI is done as a part of IVF. As with regular IVF, the patient take ovarian stimulating drugs, while the doctor monitors the progress with blood tests and ultrasounds. Once enough good-sized follicles are grown , the egg retrieval is done, where eggs are removed from the ovaries with a specialized, ultrasound-guided needle. The husband will provide his sperm sample that same day Once the eggs are retrieved, an embryologist will place the eggs in a special culture, and using a microscope and tiny needle, a single sperm will be injected into an egg. This will be done for each egg retrieved. If fertilization takes place, and the embryos are healthy, an embryo or two will be transferred to the uterus, via a catheter placed through the cervix, two to five days after the retrieval.