ICSI is recommended as a part of IVF or in cases of male factor infertility. Following are the cases where ICSI treatment is suitable:

• Men with low sperm count, poor sperm motility or morphology
• Men who have undergone a vasectomy that prevents sperm release
• Unfavourable results with other treatments such as IVF
• In case of failed fertilisation or fewer eggs fertilization previously
• For achieving fertilisation with fertile frozen eggs

ICSI is a more invasive treatment than IVF, and thus, requires more caution and there are certainly more risks involved. For instance, there are chances of egg damage during the insemination procedure, and the ICSI treatment requires utmost caution and accuracy. And the final results of the ICSI treatments depend on the age of the female patient, family history, and previous pregnancy complications. So the risks that may arise during the ICSI treatment may not be attributed to the treatment itself, but to other known or unknown factors. Therefore, a thorough analysis of reproductive health through various tests and scans is done on both the patients to assure safe conception and higher chances of success with fewer risks involved.

ICSI is an advanced ART treatment that is effective when it comes to the fertilization of eggs since the chances of fertilizations are 50% to 80% in ICSI. However, once the fertilized egg is implanted into the uterus of the woman, then the success rate for ICSI becomes the same as that of IVF.

The ICSI process is not at all painful since the patient is given anesthesia during the procedure. However, some patients may experience some discomfort or little cramping when the egg retrieval is done using a needle, which is a part of the ICSI process. So the treatment is not painful but slightly uncomfortable.

To select the sperm for the ICSI procedure, sperm motility and overall morphology are taken into consideration. The medical expert selects the single sperm cell based on its motility and appearance, places the same into a tiny needle, and inserts it into the egg. So the most motile and healthy sperm is chosen for injection.

ICSI is part of the IVF treatment and is usually suggested after several failed IVF cycles. This advanced treatment provides enhanced chances of fertilization as compared to IVF. This is also very true if the cause of childlessness is male factor infertility. However, ICSI is a complex procedure that poses more risk for egg damage, while there is no such risk in the IVF procedure. So ICSI is just an advanced procedure that is suggested in specific infertility cases and may not be better than IVF but works best as a part of IVF.