ICSI Surgery in Thailand (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection)

ICSI has transformed the treatment of male factor infertility — and Thailand's fertility clinics are among the most experienced in the world at performing it. By injecting a single, carefully selected sperm directly into each egg, ICSI bypasses many of the barriers that prevent natural fertilisation. With state-of-the-art micromanipulation equipment and embryologists who perform thousands of ICSI cycles every year, Thai clinics deliver outstanding fertilisation rates at a fraction of the cost you would pay in the US, UK, or Australia.

Procedure 2–3 weeks (full cycle)

Hospital Stay Day procedure (egg retrieval)

Recovery 1–2 days after retrieval

Minimum Stay 14–21 days

What Is ICSI?

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection is an advanced fertilisation technique used alongside IVF. An embryologist injects a single sperm directly into each mature egg, bypassing the barriers that prevent natural fertilisation. ICSI is the gold-standard treatment for severe male factor infertility — including very low count, poor motility, or abnormal morphology.

Using precision micromanipulation equipment at high magnification, the embryologist selects the best available sperm for each egg, achieving fertilisation rates of 70–80%. ICSI is also used with surgically retrieved or frozen sperm, making it essential for many assisted reproduction pathways.

Common Concerns ICSI Can Address

Diagnosed with severe male factor infertility (low count, poor motility, or abnormal morphology)
Previous IVF cycle with poor or failed fertilisation
Using surgically retrieved sperm (TESA, PESA, or micro-TESE)
Using frozen sperm or donor sperm
Unexplained infertility where standard IVF has not succeeded

Are You a Good Candidate?

In good general health
Had a full fertility assessment including semen analysis (or willing to complete one)
Realistic expectations about success rates
Able to commit to a 2–3 week stay in Thailand

Techniques & Options

ICSI is always performed as part of an IVF cycle — the ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval, and embryo transfer stages are the same. The key difference is what happens in the laboratory between egg collection and embryo culture.

Your specialist will recommend ICSI based on the results of your semen analysis, your fertilisation history, and your overall treatment plan. There are two main sperm selection approaches used during ICSI:

Standard ICSI

The embryologist examines the prepared sperm sample under high magnification and selects the best-looking sperm based on motility and morphology. A single sperm is immobilised, drawn into a micro-injection needle, and injected directly into the cytoplasm of each mature egg. This is the most widely used ICSI technique worldwide.

Suitable for the majority of ICSI patients
Fertilisation rates of 70–80% per injected egg
Well-established technique with over 30 years of clinical data

IMSI (Intracytoplasmic Morphologically Selected Sperm Injection)

A refinement of standard ICSI that uses ultra-high magnification (over 6,000x compared to the standard 200–400x) to examine sperm in much greater detail before selection. This allows the embryologist to identify and avoid sperm with subtle structural defects that are invisible at standard magnification.

May benefit patients with very high levels of sperm DNA fragmentation
Allows selection of the most structurally normal sperm
Available at leading Thai fertility centres with specialist equipment

Recovery Timeline

Days 1–10

Ovarian stimulation begins. You'll attend monitoring appointments every 2–3 days for blood tests and ultrasound scans to track follicle development. Medication is self-administered via injection, and your clinic will teach you exactly how.

Day 10–14

Once your follicles are mature, a trigger injection prepares the eggs for collection. Egg retrieval takes place 34–36 hours later under light sedation and lasts around 15–20 minutes. Your partner provides a sperm sample on the same day (or a frozen sample is thawed). You rest at the clinic and return to your hotel the same day.

Days 14–19

The embryology team performs ICSI on each mature egg, injecting a single selected sperm into each one. You'll receive updates on fertilisation rates and embryo development over the following days as embryos are cultured to blastocyst stage (day 5). Optional PGT-A genetic testing can be performed at this stage.

Day 17–21

Embryo transfer — a straightforward, painless procedure that takes about 10 minutes with no sedation required. The best-quality embryo is placed into the uterus using a soft catheter. You'll rest briefly afterwards. A pregnancy blood test is taken 10–12 days later, either in Thailand or at home.

What to Expect

70–80% Fertilisation rate per injected egg

40–55% Clinical pregnancy rate per transfer (under 35)

Gold Standard For male factor infertility treatment

Safety & Risks

ICSI is a well-established laboratory technique that has been used in millions of cycles worldwide since 1992. The risks associated with ICSI are largely the same as those for conventional IVF, with a small number of additional considerations related to the injection procedure itself.

Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS)
A small number of eggs may not survive the injection process
Multiple pregnancy (if more than one embryo is transferred)

Mild bloating or discomfort during stimulation
Emotional and psychological stress
No guarantee of fertilisation or pregnancy per cycle

Your specialist will review your individual risk profile before treatment begins. Medication protocols are carefully tailored to minimise the chance of OHSS, and Thai clinics follow international guidelines on single embryo transfer to reduce the risk of multiple pregnancy.

How Much Does ICSI Cost in Thailand?

Our pricing is transparent and all-inclusive — your quote covers everything from specialist consultations to embryo transfer.

ICSI

All-inclusive ICSI cycle

From $5,500

Fertility specialist consultations
Ovarian stimulation monitoring
Egg retrieval under sedation

ICSI laboratory procedure
Embryo culture & transfer
Dedicated care coordinator

Add Accommodation Package

Hotel, breakfast, airport transfers & 24/7 support

From $89 / night

Affordable suites on Sukhumvit Soi 23, a short ride from leading fertility clinics. Rooms include a kitchenette, daily breakfast, and access to the pool and fitness centre — a comfortable, budget-friendly base during your treatment.

A well-appointed serviced residence in the heart of Sukhumvit with full kitchen, washer-dryer, pool and gym. Ideal for patients on longer treatment cycles who want a home-away-from-home feel with hotel-level service.

A luxury hotel close to the clinic district, known for impeccable Japanese-standard service. Spacious rooms, an acclaimed spa, and 24-hour room service — the premium choice for a stress-free stay during treatment.

Common Questions About ICSI

Everything you need to know before your procedure

In conventional IVF, sperm and eggs are placed together in a dish and fertilisation happens on its own. With ICSI, an embryologist selects a single sperm and injects it directly into each egg. ICSI is used when there's a risk that standard IVF won't achieve fertilisation — most commonly due to male factor infertility.

ICSI is recommended when there is severe male factor infertility — very low sperm count, poor motility, or high abnormal morphology. It's also used when sperm has been surgically retrieved (TESA, PESA, or micro-TESE), when using frozen sperm, after previous IVF cycles with poor fertilisation, or when unexplained infertility hasn't responded to standard IVF.

ICSI significantly improves fertilisation rates when there is a sperm-related issue — typically achieving 70–80% fertilisation per injected egg. However, overall pregnancy rates depend on many factors including egg quality, embryo development, and uterine receptivity. For patients without male factor infertility, ICSI and conventional IVF generally produce similar pregnancy rates.

Large-scale studies following children conceived through ICSI have found no significant increase in birth defects compared to natural conception. A very small increased risk of certain chromosomal conditions has been noted in some studies, but this is thought to relate to the underlying fertility issue rather than the ICSI technique itself. Your specialist can discuss this with you in detail.

A full ICSI cycle takes 2–3 weeks from the start of ovarian stimulation through to embryo transfer. If you're planning a freeze-all cycle with a later frozen embryo transfer, the initial stay is around 2 weeks, with a shorter return visit of 5–7 days for the transfer.

Yes. ICSI is the only fertilisation method that can be used with sperm obtained through surgical retrieval techniques such as TESA, PESA, or micro-TESE. These procedures are used when there is no sperm in the ejaculate (azoospermia). Thai fertility clinics have urologists experienced in all sperm retrieval methods.

ICSI requires only one viable sperm per egg, making it effective even in cases of extremely low sperm count. As long as a sufficient number of motile sperm can be identified in the sample — even just a handful — ICSI can be performed. In cases of azoospermia, surgical sperm retrieval may be recommended.

Our ICSI pricing typically includes all specialist consultations, ovarian stimulation monitoring, egg retrieval under sedation, the ICSI laboratory procedure, embryo culture, and embryo transfer. Medication, genetic testing, embryo freezing, and sperm retrieval procedures (if needed) are usually quoted separately. Your coordinator will provide a full breakdown before you commit.

Any good-quality embryos not transferred can be frozen (vitrified) and stored for future use. Frozen embryo transfers have comparable success rates to fresh transfers and are significantly less expensive than a full new cycle. Annual storage fees apply.

Preparation is the same as for IVF. Your specialist will provide personalised guidance, but general recommendations include stopping smoking and limiting alcohol at least four weeks before treatment, maintaining a healthy weight, starting supplements such as folic acid and CoQ10, and completing any required baseline blood tests and semen analysis. Your coordinator will guide you through every step.

Dr. Natthida Chaisiri

MEDICALLY REVIEWED

Dr. Natthida Chaisiri

MEDICALLY REVIEWED

Fertility Specialist · Bangkok

Last reviewed: February 18, 2026

Medical References

What's Included

Fertility specialist consultations
Ovarian stimulation monitoring
Egg retrieval under sedation
ICSI laboratory procedure
Embryo culture & transfer
Dedicated care coordinator

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ICSI in Thailand