Micro-TESE sperm retrieval

Sadly, many families deal with infertility, but thankfully due to recent medical breakthroughs there are ways that allows patients to successfully father children even when the outcome seems unlikely. One of these medical advances is Micro-TESE, a method of extracting sperm in men with non-obstructive azoospermia.

Micro-TESE is a more advanced procedure for men whose primary problem is failure to produce sperm cells.

The Micro-TESE procedure involves removing the testis from the scrotal sac in order to make an incision in the testis so that it can be opened like a book. It is then examined under an operating microscope to find the tubules that appears the fullest and most opaque which are the most likely ones to contain sperm.

The goal of Micro-TESE is to identify pockets of sperm and harvest the sperm within one procedure. The process of finding sperm can be lengthy, but the procedure is very thorough. Sperm obtained from Micro-TESE can be incubated into waiting eggs or frozen for future in vitro fertilization (IVF). During the procedure, your surgeon will search for seminiferous tubules that are most likely to contain sperm. Samples will be extracted and then searched for sperm by the lab technician.

Micro-TESE is an optimal way of obtaining sperm in men with a reproductive tract blockage (i.e, after a vasectomy, or in the congenital absence of the vas deferens). In this procedure your consultant will extract sperm from their storage site in the epididymis with the aid of a surgical microscope.This is a relatively painless and minimally invasive procedure performed under local anaesthetic.

Compared to traditional TESE treatment, Micro-TESE requires the removal of less testicular tissue and provides better overall results.The procedure requires only a small incision in the midline of the scrotum, which is one of the fastest healing areas of the body. For this reason, recovery is often quick. An ice pack and pain medication will likely be all that is needed for comfort in the first 24 hours. Your consultant might recommend that you avoid sex or strenuous exercise for about a week.