Egg and Sperm Collection

For this procedure to take place, the sperm of the man and the egg of the woman will have to be retrieved. The sperm will be collected through masturbation since the previous tests have shown that the semen of the man is healthy. In the event a sperm cannot be obtained through this method, then a tiny incision will be made on the testicles to extract the sperm. For the egg retrieval, the woman will have to get daily shots and be monitored for a fortnight before the eggs are collected. With the husband’s help, the woman will get injections of gonadotropin that will stimulate her ovaries to produce many eggs. Once the eggs mature after two weeks, they will be collected within three days. The collection of the eggs is done using needle aspiration.

Once the sperm and eggs have been collected, the next step is sperm injection and transfer. Equipment made of glass contains the ovaries in one place, while a small glass tube is used to inject the sperm into the egg. They are cultured in the laboratory for a night and checked in the morning to see if they have been fertilized. The fertilized egg is then selected and implanted in the womb using a catheter inserted via the cervix (Elshenofy et al., 2019). The chances of success vary significantly among the patients. Twenty-five percent of the patients who try this procedure often get a baby after the first attempt. Success is determined by other factors such as age. Since the woman is 32 years old, embryo loss is low, and her eggs can be used. Women who are 40 years and above often have a higher rate of embryo loss and are always advised to use the donors’ eggs instead. At 32 years, the couple has multiple chances of conceiving using their eggs and has a healthy and smooth pregnancy. If the couple wants several pregnancies, they may choose to have more embryos that will be transferred to the younger woman. However, because of the risks of multiple pregnancies, medical experts recommend the number of embryos transferred.

Evidence

The first successful birth of the ICSI procedure was born on January 14, 1992. Born in Singapore, the person is alive and healthy to date. Several ICSI procedures have yielded successful results more than 28 years later (De Jonge, 2017). As mentioned earlier, the method is ideal for men that have issues with their semen. The method is not, however, limited to the men alone as it can be used to treat other kinds of infertility, like the blocked fallopian tubes in our case. Before the couple gets subjected to the procedure, they will first be counseled and briefed on what to expect; then, the relevant tests are done.

Several studies indicate that ICSI is an excellent option for giving couples a higher chance of fertilization and pregnancy. The studies extensively cover what ICSI is, the benefits, and the risks that are associated with the disease. According to Sabherwal and Malik (2018), female patients that are advanced in age (35 to 39 years) should use ICSI after attempting IVF. In our case study, the woman is 32 years old, hence not considered an advanced case. Using ICSI after trying the first procedure will help get high-quality embryos and achieve high fertilization rates (Akino et al., 2016). Pregnancy offers an enormous financial, emotional, and physical toll on the affected couples. It is thus recommended for the pair to think through their options.

Zhu et al. (2018) opines that the procedures, monitoring, and shots for ICIS can be physically and emotionally demanding for the mother after treatment. The women undergo the process before the extraction of the eggs needs daily shots, frequent monitoring, and regular blood tests by the doctors. Some of these shots and examinations are often painful and done on an outpatient basis. The recovery time needed is usually short. Patients are often advised to desist from strenuous activities.

Concerns have been raised in the past on the safety of the ICSI procedure. However, different researches have shown mixed results than what has been perceived. ICSI is a safe method and effective in the treatment of infertility problems in couples. It, however, carries a risk of transmitting genetic abnormalities to the offspring. However, the defect in the offspring can be detected earlier, and measures taken to avert the situation (Elshenofy et al., 2019). Research is still ongoing on the safety of the ICSI procedure in females with hepatitis B concerning the transmission to the offspring.