Testicular and Epididymal Sperm Aspiration

Some men do not produce sperm at all or only in insufficient numbers and poor quality.

Many of these men can have their sperm aspirated directly from their testicles or from the epididymis (tightly coiled tubules attached to the top of the testes that stores the sperm prior to ejaculation).

The most common conditions for which sperm aspiration can be used are:

• Previous vasectomy, with or without an attempt at reversal.
• Congenital absence of vas deferens (the connecting tube between testicles and penis has been missing since birth).
• Sperm concentration or sperm quality so low that no normal sperm can be found in the ejaculate

 

Sperm aspiration can be an alternative to vasectomy reversal (a microsurgical operation). Most men who had a vasectomy can have sperm aspirated from the epididymis above the point where the sperm delivering tubes were severed by vasectomy. One of the advantages of this approach over vasectomy reversal is the continuing presence of vasectomy for contraception after a pregnancy has been achieved.

Sperm aspiration is usually an uncomplicated, simple outpatient procedure. It is done by a urologist at an outpatient surgery center. A Bay IVF embryologist is present at the sperm aspiration procedure and immediately assesses the sperm aspirate for the presence of viable sperm. You will know the procedure’s result right away.

If viable sperm are successfully aspirated, Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) procedure is used for the fertilization of eggs. ICSI is a procedure in which a single live sperm is inserted directly into the center of an egg. Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection requires a high degree of expertise and is performed with a special microscope and micromanipulators.

 

The ICSI procedure is performed six hours after the egg retrieval, and the evidence of fertilization can be seen the next day, 16 hours after the ICSI. We will contact you the day after the egg retrieval to let you know how many eggs have fertilized.