Male Infertility

Sperm Washing and IUI

New York Fertility Institute offers assistance for couples dealing with issues of male infertility. Sperm washing and intrauterine insemination (IUI), or IUI, is one such treatment. Sperm washing is a laboratory method of cleansing the sperm from the ejaculate (the semen), separating out any dead sperm cells and also removing the chemicals that naturally occur in semen, called prostaglandins, which interfere with fertilization of the egg. This cleansing is necessary in order to prepare the sperm for injection into the uterus. The non-surgical IUI procedure is performed at the time of ovulation, either with or without the use of drugs to induce ovulation, depending upon your circumstances. Sperm washing and IUI can increase the chances of conception when the sperm count is low, because only the healthiest sperm are introduced directly into the uterus to coincide with ovulation.

Sperm Retrieval

For men suffering from azoospermia (no sperm in the ejaculate), treatment options depend on whether the cause is obstructive or non-obstructive, meaning whether sperm are being formed by the body or not. For example, if a man previously had a vasectomy (obstructive azoospermia), it may be possible to perform a needle aspiration to retrieve live sperm directly from the testes, where it is produced. The sperm can then be introduced to the female partner’s ova using routine IVF or ICSI.

Sperm Extraction

In other cases, a urologist can perform a biopsy of a small amount of testicular tissue which is processed and sperm cells extracted. Because typically only a small number of sperm can be obtained this way, ICSI is used to fertilize the woman’s eggs.