I have just turn 40,I have a 4yrs son through my second cycle of ivf treatment , now am considering trying for another child,

[anncor]

my question is what is the difference between icis nd ivf and which one is more likely to bring success as I can't afford to do two cycle .

[KateBrian]

The new NICE guideline published this week lays out when ICSI would be needed rather than IVF - you would only need ICSI if there is a male fertility problem or if a previous cycle has resulted in failed or very poor fertilisation. ICSI is more expensive as it involves injecting the sperm into the egg and would not be necessary unless these reasons apply in your case.

[Hidden]

ICSI is generally only needed if there is male factor issues. It is where an individual sperm is injected into an egg (what you often see on tv news claiming to be IVF), rather than the egg and sperm being left in a dish to fertilise on their own. It might also be used if only a very small number of eggs are harvested.

There is no guarantee of fertilisation, but it may increase the chances of you not being left with no fertilised embryos in the above circumstances.

It costs about an additional £1,000.

But I don't believe that it then has any impact on the liklihood of a successful outcome from the treatment, rather it increases the likelihood of having embryos.

If you can make embryos no problem, then other things that may help to increase the likelihood to consider are acupuncture, although, the scientific evidence on this is I belived inconclusive.

Hope this helps and good luck

FG x