TESTICULAR SPERM ASPIRATION

Sperm Aspiration is a procedure used to obtain viable sperm from a testicle. The sperm that are collected are intended to be used with ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Insemination) because there are usually not enough sperm retrieved to perform intrauterine insemination. Sperm Aspiration is useful where there are extremely few or no sperm found in the ejaculate (azoospermia).

There are 2 main reasons why sperm may be absent from the semen:

Obstructive azoospermia is a condition in which there is a blockage in the male reproductive tract. There is normal sperm production in the testicle but the sperm cells are trapped within the epididymis.

Non-obstructive azoospermia is a condition in which there is severely deficient or absent sperm production.

What is TESE?

TESE stands for testicular sperm extraction. A small piece of testicular tissue is removed with an open surgical procedure. A ½ inch incision is made and a small piece of testicular tissue is removed and placed in culture media. This procedure requires sedation or general anesthesia and is usually done in the operating room. Sperm are then extracted from within the seminiferous tubules where they are produced.

What is TESA?

TESA stands for testicular sperm aspiration. A needle biopsy of the testicle is done as an office procedure using local anesthesia. A small incision is made in the scrotal skin and then a spring loaded needle is gently inserted into the testicle. The amount of tissue obtained is low because the thin needle removes only a thin sliver to tissue.

With both techniques, the sperm obtained will be used to fertilize the egg with ICSI technology. Our embryologist is well-trained to deal with the low numbers of sperm that are obtained so that pregnancy is possible even in men with no sperm or extremely low count in their sperm sample - as long as sperm can be obtained from the testicle.