Step 2 carries that unspoken tension as two cells prepare to start something new. First step is tests, scans, hormones, injections, egg retrieval, stress, more stress, and polite nodding in front of doctors while secretly thinking please just say it clear.
Step 2 moves behind the door that patients don’t get to walk through. The embryology lab. The part everyone is curious about but barely anyone gets to see. This is where the ICSI procedure happens. This is where fertilization is not left to chance.
The IVF process step by step is divided into stages: egg stimulation and retrieval come first, fertilization in the lab follows, and then embryo development and transfer. This blog focuses on that middle stage: fertilization in the lab. Step 3, which covers how embryos grow and how they’re assessed, comes after this.
So, What Happens in ICSI
The ICSI procedure is short for intracytoplasmic sperm injection. In normal speech, this means one individual sperm is injected directly into one mature egg using a fine needle under a microscope. Read that again. One sperm. One egg. Direct entry.
The goal of this part of IVF is fertilization. Technically, the name given to that event is the ICSI fertilization process. This moment decides whether there will even be embryos to talk about in Step 3. This part matters, a lot.
The Experts Behind the ICSI Procedure
A qualified embryologist in a controlled IVF lab setting runs the ICSI fertility procedure. Not the gynecologist. No the nurse. Not the receptionist who smiles sweetly while handing consent forms. A trained embryologist. Usually someone who looks calm in situations that terrify everyone else.
The lab at Family Fertility & IVF Center Lahore runs ICSI under strict surveillance, with defined lab protocols and sterile handling. The work follows a standard operating procedure for IVF lab environment, and that is not just a checklist. That is survival for the egg and sperm. Controlled air. Clean room standards. Monitored temperature. Zero guesswork.
Every serious IVF center Lahore patients trust understands this part. Technology matters. Lab discipline matters. The human hand doing the injection matters.
Now Let’s Slow-Walk the ICSI Step by Step
Step 1. Eggs are delivered to the lab for processing
After egg retrieval, the collected eggs are handed over to the embryology team. This is sometimes called the ICSI egg retrieval procedure, even though technically egg retrieval happened in Step 1. Patients go to recovery and rest. Eggs go to the lab and get assessed.
The first thing the embryologist checks is maturity. Not every egg is ready. Only mature eggs, known in the lab as MII eggs, qualify for ICSI. These eggs are at the correct stage to accept a sperm and begin the ICSI egg fertilization process.
Step 2. Sperm selection
Meanwhile, sperm preparation is happening. The goal is not “whatever sperm is available.” The goal is: strongest, healthiest looking, best potential to fertilize.
The sperm sample is washed and processed. This isolates the most viable cells. Motility matters. Morphology matters. In plain terms, is the sperm moving properly, and does it have a normal head and tail structure. That matters.
This is where couples dealing with male factor infertility usually start breathing again. Low count. Slow swimmers. DNA damage. Previous failed fertilization with standard IVF. ICSI was designed for those cases. The ICSI process basically removes the usual barriers and gives sperm that cannot reach or penetrate the egg naturally a direct path in.
Step 3. The setup under the microscope
Now comes the part nobody forgets once they’ve seen it. The egg goes under a high-powered microscope. The embryologist uses a micromanipulator. Think surgical machine, but built for something much smaller than a grain of salt.
Two micro-needles are in play here.
One micro-needle is the holding pipette. It gently holds the egg in place. Stabilizes it. Keeps it still.
The second is the ICSI needle. This is the one that does the injection. The embryologist draws a single selected sperm cell into the ICSI needle.
The screen shows the egg. The screen shows the sperm inside the needle. This is where the hands cannot shake.
Step 4. The injection
The holding pipette steadies the egg. The ICSI needle advances. The ICSI needle enters the egg. The sperm is delivered directly into the center of the egg.
That is the ICSI procedure in the purest form. One egg. One sperm. Direct fertilization attempt.
The instant that sperm is placed inside, the egg is now in early fertilization mode. This is where internal activation begins. The ICSI fertilization process is in motion. Enzymes get released. The sperm nucleus and egg nucleus start preparing to merge genetic material. That is the start of potential life in the clinical setting.
Step 5. Repeat for every suitable egg
Yes. The embryologist has to do this for each mature egg. One by one. Not batch mode. Not automated.
Every egg is positioned. Every sperm is injected manually. Each attempt is watched in real time on the monitor.
So when consultation rooms talk about “ICSI procedure steps,” this is what it means. This careful, repetitive work. No skipping. No shortcuts. Every single viable egg is handled individually.
Step 6. Incubation and fertilization check
After injection, eggs go into an incubator. The incubator is basically a controlled environment that mimics internal human conditions. The temperature is regulated. The pH is maintained. The environment is held steady to protect the cells.
After around 16 to 18 hours, the embryologist checks the fertilization status. This is where results of the ICSI process timeline start to show. If the egg shows two pronuclei, fertilization has happened. That fertilized egg can now officially be called an embryo.
That is when the conversation moves to embryo development. Cell division. Embryo grading. Blastocyst formation. Viability for transfer or freezing. Step 3 in this IVF series will go into that stage. How embryos are grown. Or how embryologists track them. How final embryos are chosen for transfer.
What Makes the ICSI Step So Important
This is not an optional moment. For a lot of couples, this is the turning point. Without fertilization, IVF stops. No embryo. Not transfer. No pregnancy attempt.
ICSI fertility procedure gives control where nature decided to be annoying. Low sperm count. Morphology issues. History of failed fertilization. Severe male factor infertility. Use of frozen sperm. Use of surgically retrieved sperm.
This is why couples ask for ICSI treatment Pakistan wide. They want that boost in chance at fertilization. want proper handling. They want proof that the lab knows what it’s doing.
Now for the blunt part. Not every clinic is built for this. The success of ICSI is not only about the sperm and egg. The success heavily depends on:
- Quality of lab equipment
- Air quality control in the IVF lab
- Clean room handling
- Skill and experience of the embryologist performing injection
- How closely the team follows standard operating procedure for IVF lab work
The Importance of Lab Standards in ICSI
A proper IVF center must treat this process like controlled micro-surgery. Not “put it under a scope and go for it.” The lab must be clean, pressurized, filtered and temperature managed. The cell culture media must be fresh and handled under very strict conditions. The ICSI procedure depends on this environment. Fertilization rates are not just biology. They are also lab disciplines.
Family Fertility & IVF Center runs ICSI under closed, tightly managed conditions with trained embryologists and high resolution micromanipulation systems. This level of vigilance is not a cosmetic feature for the brochure. It’s survival. Gametes and embryos do not forgive sloppy environments.
So yes. When people start searching phrases like the best IVF center in Lahore, this is what they’re trying to ask without knowing the vocabulary. Does the clinic treat eggs and sperm like priceless material, or like samples on a tray? That question matters more than any waiting room decor.
Sperm Quality and Male Factor Infertility
A lot of couples quietly panic over sperm reports. Low motility. Abnormal morphology. Poor count. That panicked look in the consultation room says it all. The fear is always the same. Will fertilization even happen?
This is why the ICSI step by step process is such a relief for so many couples. The procedure does not demand thousands of perfect swimmers. It needs access to a single usable sperm per egg. The embryologist isolates it. Loads it. Injects it. Gives it a direct entry to the egg that it could not reach alone.
That single decision changes the conversation from “this might never work” to “fertilization is possible.” It’s very normal for couples to describe Step 2 as the first time the treatment actually started to feel hopeful instead of theoretical.
How Much Does the ICSI Process Cost
Now the part nobody likes to discuss in public. The financial side. The ICSI procedure cost is not random. The price reflects the equipment, the environment, and most of all, the hands doing it. The embryologist is not clicking a button. The embryologist is performing hundreds of micro-adjustments in real time, under magnification, controlling contact with human eggs that cannot be replaced.
Cheap clinics exist. That does not mean they should be trusted. Fertility treatment in Pakistan has a range of pricing. Some places cut cost by cutting corners in the lab. Fewer filters. Older microscopes. Less monitoring. Rushed handling.
A clinic that cares about outcomes will never treat this part like a place to save money. Fertilization is not where corners belong. So when patients ask about ICSI procedure cost, what they are really asking is this. Will this expense move the cycle forward, or is this clinic charging for the label without delivering the standard. Reasonable question.
What Happens After ICSI
Once fertilization is confirmed, the embryo exists. Sounds simple, but this is the moment everyone was waiting for.
From here, embryos keep growing in the incubator for several days. Cells begin dividing. Development is tracked, photographed, and graded by the embryology team. The goal is to identify embryos with the strongest developmental pattern.
This next chapter covers:
- How embryos are monitored
- What “good quality embryo” means in plain language
- When transfer usually happens
- How freezing works if there are extra embryos
That is Step 3 in this series.
The Importance of a Skilled Clinic Team in IVF
A fertility center can talk about patient comfort all day. Comfort is nice. Comfort does not fertilize an egg. Strong IVF lab procedures do.
The lab at Family Fertility & IVF Center Lahore is built around that basic truth. The center is recognized as one of the best IVF centers in Lahore Pakistan because the work in the lab is controlled, documented, repeatable, and handled by experienced embryologists who specialize in delicate work such as ICSI.
Leadership matters here too. Under the care of Dr. Sophia Umair Bajwa, the lab team treats ICSI as a disciplined, technical medical act. Not trial. Not experiment. A controlled, high precision step in a defined treatment plan.
Main Points to Remember About ICSI
Here is what Step 2 delivers.
- The ICSI procedure places one sperm directly into one egg using a micro needle under a microscope.
- Only mature eggs, called MII eggs, are used for ICSI.
- The ICSI fertilization process begins immediately after injection, and early signs of fertilization are checked within 16 to 18 hours.
- The quality of the lab and the experience of the embryologist influence success. Strong hands and strict lab control matter just as much as egg and sperm quality.
- ICSI fertility procedure is essential in many male infertility cases and in cases with previous IVF fertilization failure.
- The outcome of this stage decide if there will embryos for third step.
This is the part of IVF where microscopic work becomes the difference between closing the file or moving forward toward transfer.
Don’t Miss What Comes Next: Step 3 of IVF
Watch helpful content anytime on the Dr. Sophia Umair Bajwa YouTube channel. The videos explain IVF lab procedures in simple visual language.
For any assistance, evaluations, or future treatments, Family Fertility & IVF Center in Lahore is the place to trust. The center is widely regarded as the best IVF center Lahore in terms of lab quality, transparency, and procedural discipline.
Got a topic that needs to be addressed next. Drop a comment here or under the YouTube videos and Dr. Sophia will address it. The next topic covers embryo culture, marking, development timelines, and what happens before transfer.