Intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)

Refer to principles 5, 7 and 9

Regulatory principles that apply to licensed centres

  • 5.

    provide prospective and current patients and donors with sufficient, accessible and up-to-date information in order to allow them to make informed decisions;

  • 7.

    conduct all licensed activities with proper skill and care and in an appropriate environment, in accordance with good clinical practice, to ensure optimum outcomes and minimum risk for patients, donors and offspring;

  • 9.

    ensure that all staff engaged in licensed activity are competent and recruited in sufficient numbers to guarantee safe clinical and laboratory practice;

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Information for people seeking treatment with ICSI

  • 21.1

    Before treatment is offered, the centre should give the woman seeking treatment and her partner, if applicable, specific information about the risks of ICSI which might lead to:

    a) a reduced number of eggs being available for treatment (compared to IVF), due to eggs being immature or damaged by the process of ICSI

    b) children conceived having inherited genetic, epigenetic or chromosomal abnormalities (including cystic fibrosis gene mutations, imprinting disorders, sex chromosome defects and heritable sub-fertility).

  • 21.2

    Where appropriate, centres should also provide patients with information about the possibility of genetic testing of the male partner.

See also:

Guidance note 4 - Information to be provided prior to consent

 

The use of ICSI

  • 21.3

    The centre’s clinical protocols should set out when ICSI can be used. The reasons for using ICSI in any particular case should be explained in the patient’s medical records.

  • 21.4

    With respect to any ICSI programme, the centre should ensure that:

    (a) ICSI and other embryos are transferred during the same treatment cycle only in
    exceptional circumstances, with an upper limit of 2% of all ICSI embryo transfers,

    (b) the circumstances justifying such a transfer are specified in the patient’s notes, and

    (c) eggs that have failed to fertilise by normal IVF or ICSI are not re-inseminated by any means.

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Code of Practice version: 8