IVF PRIMER

In cases where the ejaculate does not contain sperm, MESA (microsurgical epididymal sperm aspiration) is performed to obtain sperm by a urologist specializing in male infertility. Epididymal and testicular sperm require ICSI for fertilization.In our program MESA is typically done in advance of the ICSI-IVF cycle and the sperm are frozen. One MESA procedure often provides enough sperm for several ICSI-IVF cycles.

The risk of genetic abnormalities in children born from ICSI has been of equal concern to patients and health professionals. Studies carried out world-wide showed that some forms of congenital abnormalities had a higher incidence in male babies born from ICSI but the most recent studies showed no difference between IVF with and without ICSI. Men with marked sperm abnormalities have a high chance of carrying mild genetic abnormalities which would then be transmitted to their offspring conceived through ICSI but would not be the result of the ICSI procedure itself. Specifically, men with very low sperm counts often have deletions or mutations in the long arm of the Y chromosome which would be passed on to their sons born from ICSI. Therefore, when the sons born form ICSI reach reproductive age, they may also find that they are sub-fertile or infertile due to the genes inherited from their fathers.

Alexander Atop Dr. C