Surgical Sperm Retrieval

Before treatment, we will review your fertility history and test results to understand why sperm may not be visible in the semen sample. This may include hormone tests, ultrasound and semen analysis, along with discussion of any previous illness, surgery, injury or genetic factors that may be relevant.

This stage helps us decide whether surgical sperm retrieval is likely to be suitable and how it fits into your wider fertility plan.

The surgical sperm retrieval procedure is carried out in the clinic under sedation and with pain relief. It usually involves making a small incision in the testes and taking tissue samples to look for sperm. The procedure is straightforward and usually takes around 30 minutes.

Although it is natural to feel anxious beforehand, our team will explain the procedure clearly and support you throughout. We will also talk you through what to expect afterwards, including surgical sperm retrieval recovery, likely discomfort and when you can return to normal activities.

As soon as the tissue samples are collected, they are examined in our laboratory for the presence of sperm. One of the most important parts of this process is that you will usually be told on the same day whether any sperm were found. If sperm are identified, they are frozen for use in a later ICSI treatment cycle. This allows treatment planning to proceed in a structured manner. If no sperm are seen, we send a sample to an external laboratory to look for evidence of sperm production. In this case your results will be discussed with you.

If sperm are found, the next step is usually planning for ICSI, where the sperm can be used to fertilise eggs in the laboratory. If no sperm are found, further testing and procedures will be discussed with you by your treating doctor. In some cases, a procedure called micro-TESE may be considered.

Micro-TESE is a more detailed procedure, carried out under general anaesthetic at a hospital, by a urologist. Our embryology team will be present at the procedure to identify and process sperm for freezing at our clinic later that day.