New to Assisted Reproductive Technologies – the method ІМЅІ
In cases of a severe male factor in infertility, the only solution is to follow the procedure ICSI – injection of sperm in the eggs’s cytoplasm. In order to improve the efficiency of the procedure, an innovative technique was developed – IMSI (injection of morphologically selected sperm into the egg). This technique involves observing the sperm at a very high magnification – up to about 6600 times, which allows the embryologist to make a detailed visual assessment of important cellular organisms, such as the nucleus (where the genetic material is stored), neck, mitochondria and tail. This technique allows to eliminate the defects, which otherwise remain hidden at the standard used level of microscopic increase of – 200 – 400 times. The selection of sperm through the IMSI method and in combination with the ICSI procedure ensures more reliable fertilization of the egg, and reduces the risk of spontaneous abortion.
Regardless of the large microscopic magnification , the choice of sperm for injection can be subjective in the hands of the embryologist . In order to avoid the risk of human mistake, a special software was developed, which gives an opportunity for precise analysis and selection of the “best” sperm through a number of morphological criteria. This way it can be selected not only living, but also by morphologically goood sperm.
What is ІМЅІ –ЅТRІСТ?
This is the only automated software for performing an examination of spermatozoid morphology “live” – in real time and in microscopic magnification up to 6600 times. ІМЅІ –ЅТRІСТ combines the strict criteria of Tugerberg and Kruger for morphological evaluation with an extremely new method for morphological evaluation of the organelles of motile sperm, called MЅOME (mоtіlе ѕреrm оrgаnеllе mоrрhоlоgу ехаmіnаtіоn) and and offers software categorization of sperm by estimating the size and shape of the head, tail and number of vacuoles. According to the analyzed parameters, the sperm belongs to one of the three categories – normal, cybno-normal or abnormal.
Advantages of IMSI –STRICT:
- Objective classification of sperm eliminates subjectivity in the evaluation performed by the embryologist and reduces the probability of human mistakes;
- The rapid analysis reduces the time from the processing of the spermatozoa to the realization of their injection into the ovum (ICSI procedure);
- Allows standartization of the method for selection of sperm in ICSI procedure;
- Ability to document the process and file the data;
- Quality control of the activity;
- Bettering the quality of embryos, which increases the percentage of embryos that have reached the blastocyst stage;
- Lower percentage of embryos with chromosomal abnormalities ;
- Increases the percentage of realized pregnancies;
- It lowers the percentage of spontaneous abortions.
ІМЅІ is recommended when:
- The factor for sterility is male;
- Teratozoospermia;
- High degree of DNA fragmentation of sperm ;
- Embryos with poor morphological characteristics , found in previous ІVF/ІСЅІ procedures;
- Spontaneous abortions in the first trimester of pregnancy ;
- A series of unsuccessful invitro procedures;
- Sterility with unexplainable origin.
Use of IMЅI – ЅTRIST in Bulgaria:
For the first time in Bulgaria the innovative method ІМЅІ –ЅТRІСТ is used in Invitro Clinic ”SOFIA”.