IIntracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) involves the direct injection of sperm into eggs obtained from in vitro fertilization (IVF). ICSI is an acronym for intracytoplasmic sperm injection A fancy way of saying "inject sperm into egg" ICSI is a very effective method to fertilize eggs in the IVF lab after they have been aspirated from the female.
Its main use is for significant male infertility cases IVF with ICSI involves the use of specialized micromanipulation tools and equipment and inverted microscopes that enable embryologists to select and pick up individual sperm in a specially designed ICSI needle. The needle is carefully advanced through the outer shell of the egg and the egg membrane - and the sperm is injected into the inner part (cytoplasm) of the egg.
This usually results in normal fertilization in about 75-85% of eggs injected with sperm. However, first the woman must be stimulated with medications and have an egg retrieval procedure so we can obtain several eggs for in vitro fertilization and ICSI.

There are basically five simple steps to ICSI which include the following:
1. The mature egg is held with a specialized pipette.
2. A very delicate, sharp, and hollow needle is used to immobilize and pick up a single sperm.
3. The needle is then carefully inserted through the shell of the egg and into the cytoplasm of the egg.
4. The sperm is injected into the cytoplasm, and the needle is carefully removed.
5. The eggs are checked the following day for evidence of normal fertilization.
Once the steps of ICSI are complete and fertilization is successful, the embryo transfer procedure is used to physically place the embryo in the woman’s uterus. Then it is a matter of watching for early pregnancy symptoms. The fertility specialist may use a blood test or ultrasound to determine if implantation and pregnancy has occurred.