- TESE (Testicular sperm extraction)– This involves opening up the scrotum and taking a large volume of testicular tissue, perhaps from several regions of the testicle. Sperms are then retrieved with the help of a microscope to collect individual sperms sperm. This is done under anesthesia.
- MESA (Microsurgical Epididymal Sperm Aspiration)– An open surgical sperm retrieval procedure that uses an operating microscope to locate the tubules of the epididymis precisely, so that large numbers of sperm can be extracted.
Some studies have compared the success rates after the different types of surgical sperm collection procedures. These studies concluded that MESA treatment which gives the highest number of sperm, with a hundred times more sperm being recovered compared to TESA and percutaneous biopsy. MESA also produced sperm that was better swimmers and therefore more useful for infertility treatments, including IVF and ICSI.

These alternative methods of retrieving sperm allow male patients to use their own sperm in the IVF/ICSI procedure. The procedures themselves are not very costly and offer the chance to couples and avoid the cost of using a sperm donor. At the Delhi IVF, we are committed to offering the most cost-effective treatment. Some men do not have sperm at all or only few in numbers and that too of poor quality. In such cases, the sperm has to be aspirated directly from their testicles (TESA) or from the epididymis that stores the sperm prior to an ejaculation (PESA, MESA).