ICSI was developed in 1991 and the first baby conceived following ICSI technique was born in 1992.

ICSI is a technique that has been developed to assist fertilisation when sperm quality is particularly poor. Intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) involves injecting a single sperm directly into an egg in order to fertilise it. The fertilised egg (embryo) is then transferred to the woman’s womb. The procedure for ICSI is similar to that of IVF, but instead of fertilisation taking place in a dish, the embryologist selects sperm from the sample and a single sperm is injected directly into each egg. The injected eggs are checked the day after to see if fertilisation has occurred.

ICSI is a time-consuming procedure. It requires skill and high technology equipment. The whole process is done under microscopic visualization and manipulation. Before the sperm is injected into the egg, it is immobilised. The egg is held in place and the sperm is injected into the egg by puncturing a tiny hole in the zonapellucida of the egg using a micro injection needle. The needle will go through this hole and deliver the sperm in the cytoplasm. The tiny hole will seal by itself and recover.