iui or icsi, or something different?

[AlmostMrsWalker]

hey guys im new here and just wondering which would be the best road to follow for me and my DP, we have been told he has low sperm. Very low aparently. I have no fertility issues, so would IUI or ICSI be best? What are the processes in each? Im confused as to what happens. Would i need to go on drugs to stimulate ovulation aswell?
Its such a hard thing to try and work through when we are so desperate to have our own baby. We were at the hospital this morning and i was dreaming of what it would be like to be there for totally different reasons - for good reasons.
One day soon hopefuly!!!
Fingers crossed and babydust to all xxx

[Julia'sMom]

Welcome to MDC! I'm not personally dealing with male-factor issues, so I don't know which would be best for your case, but a RE could probably give you success rate statistics.

As far as what they involve...iui is far easier for you, especially is you are already ovulating and have no issues. I believe it can be unmedicated and would involve you being monitored during the cycle. When you are ovulating you and dp go to the doctor's office. Dp would need to collect his sperm, which is then washed and injected into you.

Per my understanding, icsi is only used in coordination with ivf. This means you'll likely use drugs to produce more eggs. Once the follicles/eggs are developed, they are retrieved from you. This is an outpatient procedure, but does involve general anesthesia at most clinics. Then they eggs are fertilized in a labratory with dp's sperm. One sperm is injected into each egg. The fertilized eggs/embryos are watched and the best one (or two) will be transfered back into you after 3-5 days. This procedure takes more time, is more expensive, and harder on the body than iui. However, the success rates are also higher.

It's a personal decisions, you need to weigh the success rates, cost, time you are willing to wait and try as well as many other factors. Good luck!