The benefits of Pulse-driven ICSI

What is Infertility?

Infertility is defined as not being able to achieve a pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse between a man and a woman. Around 15% of couples in Singapore faced infertility [1]. Fortunately, there are various ways to treat infertility. ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) is one of the treatment methods to overcome infertility.

What Is ICSI Treatment?

Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) is a specialised form of In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) that is often used including for the treatment of severe cases of male-factor infertility. In the ICSI process, a tiny needle called a micropipette is used to inject a single sperm into the center of the egg. Once fertilisation occurs, the fertilised egg (now called an embryo) grows in a laboratory for 1 to 5 days before it is transferred to the woman’s uterus.

What Is Pulse-driven ICSI Treatment?

Pulse-driven ICSI is a technique that minimises damage to the egg and increases egg fertilisation rate as compared to conventional ICSI. Some studies have demonstrated high fertilisation rate (90%) and low egg degeneration rate (1%) in Pulse-driven ICSI and is shown to be efficient and safe [2].

Pulse-driven ICSI uses piezoelectric pulses to aid in the injection of a sperm into the egg. This technique uses a blunt pipette tip instead of a sharp tip which is typically used in conventional ICSI. In this way, it makes Pulse-driven ICSI less invasive.

In summary, Pulse-driven ICSI causes less deformation of the zona pellucida membrane compared to conventional ICSI. It thus reduces the risk of injury to the egg, and increases fertilisation rate.

References:

[1] Chandra, A. M. (n.d.). Infertility in Women: Causes and Treatment Options. HealthXchange. Retrieved January 20, 2023, from https://www.healthxchange.sg/women/pre-pregnancy/infertility-women-causes-treatment#:~:text=About%2015%20per%20cent%20of,problem%20lies%20with%20both%20partners.

[2] Hiraoka, K., Kitamura, S., Kuwayama, M., Kim, J., Turan, V., & Oktay, K. (2014). PiezoICSI using ultra-thin needle dramatically improves oocyte survival and fertilization without detrimental effect on embryo development and implantation ability as compared with conventional-ICSI. Fertility and Sterility, 102(3), e32