IMSI (Intracytoplasmic Morphology selected Sperm Injection)

IMSI has come to Spain! This technique allows sperm to be magnified 8,000 times to select the ones presenting the best morphology and boost the results of assisted reproduction.

· Up to now, the techniques for selecting sperm only allowed for them to be magnified 400 times, 20 times less than with IMSI.

· Selecting sperm on the basis of morphology is considered one of the best indicators for fertility and success in assisted reproduction

· The technique is known as IMSI, where the letters stand for Intracytoplasmic Morphology selected Sperm Injection

· The centre in Catalonia is the first one in Spain to use this novel technique

This pioneering technique is now available here, allowing only the best sperm cells to be selected for assisted reproduction processes. This technique is known as IMSI, which stands for Intracytoplasmic Morphology selected Sperm Injection. Its main advantage is that it allows sperm cells to be magnified to 8,000 times their normal size, allowing less perfectly-formed sperm cells to be discarded and selecting only those with the best morphology. At present, to select the sperm cells, doctors use a conventional system which magnifies them 400 times. This technique is known as ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection). With this technique, the sperm is viewed at 8,000 times its normal size, 20 times more than with ICSI, which ensures that the best gametes are selected, the sperm which are the best placed to fertilise the egg. . The technique was created in Israel and developed in France and Belgium and at present there are only about ten centres in the EU using it, given the high cost of the technology it requires. Here in Spain, the “Centro de Infertilidad y Reproducción Humana” , based in Barcelona and Lleida is the first one to apply IMSI in its assisted reproduction processes. "The Centre believes that we must have this novel technique to offer our patients the best possible chance of getting pregnant and reduce the number of miscarriages in infertilities of male origin", , explains Dr. Mario Brasseco from the Infertility Centre. “Following a training period abroad and the implementation here, we are already working on the first cases in Spain, with excellent results”, says Brasseco.

As regards assisted reproduction, sperm morphology, i.e. the appearance of the sperm cells, is one of the seminal parameters, considered to be one of the best biological indicators of successful assisted reproduction. Thanks to this, we can avoid selecting sperm cells with anomalies which then cause miscarriages of male origin. At present 6 out of 10 Spanish men under the age of 40 has semen of a lower quality than recommended by the World Health Organisation. Also, 50 per cent of all cases of infertility are attributable to low-quality semen in men.