Surgical sperm procedure is a simple procedure that may be recommended as part of your fertility treatment if there is no or very few sperm in the semen, or where there are complications with a natural semen delivery.
The surgical sperm procedure allows us to collect sperm directly from the testicles. Any healthy sperm retrieved during the procedure is then carefully frozen and stored for use in later fertility treatment.
In IVF, we would use a method called intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) where a single sperm is injected directly into the egg to aid fertilisation.
We use two sperm retrieval processes:
Percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA) - A fine syringe is inserted into the epididymis within the testicle to extract the sperm. It's a quick and relatively painless procedure that's performed under local anesthethic.
Testicular sperm extraction (TESE) - Making a small incision into the testicular, we remove a small sample of testicular tissue which we use to extract sperm from. TESE can be performed under local or general anaesthetic.
We tailor all treatment plans to the individual patient, however, your surgical sperm retrieval will likely follow these steps:
Step one
Fertility tests and consultation
To begin your fertility journey, we'll book you and your partner in for some fertility tests and a consultation with one of our specialists. For men, the main fertility test is a semen analysis.
Step two
Further investigations
If your semen analysis shows very few or no sperm present, we will perform some additional investigations to get to the route of the problem.
Once the cause has been identified, we'll develop a treatment plan for your specific needs.
Step three
Pre-op appointment
We'll invite you in 1-2 weeks prior to your surgical sperm retrieval to go over the details with you one most time and determine whether you're fit to undergo the procedure.
Step four
Surgical sperm retrieval
Depending on the type of retrieval you're having, we'll use local or general anaesthetic.
Any healthy sperm found is frozen using a method known as vitrification and stored safely for later use.
You'll find a breakdown of a typical surgical sperm retrieval procedure below, however, it's important to know that this can vary depending on the type of retrieval you have.
*All prices are subject to a regional variation.
Surgical sperm retrieval
ÂŁ2,250
Includes procedure, semen analysis, sedation, freezing and one year storage
IVF with ICSI
ÂŁ8,010
Includes egg retrieval, sperm preparation, ICSI procedure and embryo transfer
Storage
ÂŁ370
Paid annually
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Surgical sperm retrieval FAQs
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