Certain complementary methods and procedures are sometimes used to improve the chances of success in both conventional IVF and egg donation.

It is helpful to know the usefulness of these procedures when they are offered.

IVF PICSI

This is a micromanipulation technique used to select the best spermatozoa for IVF.

Hyaluronic Acid (HA) is a biopolymer found in all human cells, and is mainly found in the gel surrounding the oocyte. This acid attracts the sperm most likely to fertilise the oocyte. Non-fertilising spermatozoa do not have the receptors that enable them to stick to the oocyte and fertilise it.

Placing sperm in a container containing hyaluronan hydrogel makes it possible to eliminate sperm with genetic abnormalities, as well as sperm which, although normal in appearance and mobility, are not capable of fertilissation.

This method is often used to select sperm for IVF ICSI.

IVF ICSI

ICSI stands for intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

This method greatly increases the chances of pregnancy, especially if a previous IVF has failed or if the sperm is of average quality.

This method is often used systematically in many countries simply to improve the pregnancy rate.

Instead of waiting for the spermatozoon to enter the oocyte on its own to fertilise it, it is introduced into the oocyte using a sort of miniaturised pipette controlled by a microscope, after cutting off the spermatozoon's flagellum.

IVF IMSI

This is an ICSI to the power of 10. IMSI stands for Intracytoplasmic Injection of morphologically selected sperm.

For ICSI IVF, a microscope is used that magnifies between 300 and 400 times. For IVF IMSI, a microscope with a magnification of between 6,000 and 10,000 times is used to examine the morphology of the spermatozoa in detail in order to eliminate any with abnormalities, thereby improving the pregnancy rate and reducing the risk of miscarriage. This method is useful in cases of poor or very poor-quality sperm.