Sperm Aspiration Protocol

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 attached epididymis that stores the sperm prior to an ejaculation.

The most common conditions requiring Sperm Aspiration are:

1. Previous vasectomy (with or without an attempt at reversal)

    

2. Congenital absence of vas deferens (the connecting tube between testicles and penis is missing)

    

3. Sperm concentration and/or sperm quality so low that no normal sperm can be found in the ejaculate

Testicular or epididymal Sperm Aspiration is a technique that can be added to In Vitro Fertilization, Egg Donation, and Gestational Surrogacy.

Sperm aspiration is normally an uncomplicated, quick outpatient procedure requiring only a small amount of local anesthetic. It is done by a urologist at an outpatient surgery center. A Bay IVF Center embryologist is present at the Sperm Aspiration procedure and immediately assesses the sperm aspirate for presence of viable sperm. You will know the procedure's outcome right away.

The testicular or epididymal sperm aspiration procedure is done by your urologist either the day prior to the egg retrieval with overnight sperm storage or at an earlier date if your semen specimen can be cryopreserved and stored in liquid nitrogen.

Once viable sperm are successfully aspirated, Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) procedure is used for fertilization of eggs.  In ICSI, a single sperm is inserted into an egg under a microscope using micro-instruments.

The ICSI procedure is performed six hours after the egg retrieval and the evidence of fertilization can be seen the next day, 14 to 16 hours after the ICSI.  We will contact you in the morning following the egg retrieval to let you know how many eggs have fertilized.

Any remaining unused sperm can be stored in liquid nitrogen for potential future use eliminating the need to repeat the Sperm Aspiration procedure.

If you have any questions regarding Sperm Aspiration or to request an appointment, please contact us by phone at 650-322-0500, via email at care@BayIVF.com, or use the Contact Bay IVF Center form on this page.