What happens before ICSI?

Ovulation induction (also called ovarian stimulation):The person supplying the eggs receives medication injections for eight to 14 days. This stimulates your ovaries to produce multiple eggs at once to mature. Next, a human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) injection will assist with final maturation of the eggs.

Egg retrieval: Your healthcare provider uses transvaginal ultrasound technology to guide the insertion of a thin needle through the wall of your vagina into your ovaries. This step is done with a mild anesthetic, so there isn’t any pain. A suction device connected to the needle draws out and collects the eggs.

Unless you’re using frozen sperm, sperm collection takes place on the same day as the egg retrieval. The person supplying the sperm:

Abstains from sex and masturbation (no ejaculation) for two to three days prior to the sperm collection.
Masturbates at home or in a private room at a fertility clinic, collecting the ejaculate into a lab-provided container. The specimen must be received by the laboratory within 60 minutes from ejaculation.

A semen analysis takes place immediately to check sperm volume, mobility and quality. People who experience azoospermia, anejaculation or retrograde ejaculation may need a procedure to collect sperm. This is also true for people who undergo an unsuccessful vasectomy reversal. Procedures like electroejaculation and microscopic testicular sperm extraction may take place in a hospital instead of a fertility clinic. A lab may freeze and store the sperm (sperm banking) for later IVF use at the clinic.

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