About ICSI
About ICSI
- ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection) is the process of manually
fertilising an oocyte (egg) with a single sperm, in a laboratory
setting. A micromanipulator is used to inject a single sperm cell
into a mature oocyte. ICSI is not only useful from the mare’s
perspective, but also from the stallions. The use of a single
sperm cell is advantageous with stallions who have issues with
fertility, in that the strongest sperm can be selected and is
placed into the oocyte. It is also of benefit with stallions who
have died, or have limited semen available, as a very small amount
of semen is required to create multiple pregnancies.
About OPU
About OPU
- OPU is, in basic terms, the procedure of extracting an oocyte
(egg) from a donor mare. It is particularly useful for older mares
who can no longer reproduce in more conventional ways. It is also
beneficial for sports mares as multiple oocytes can be retrieved
in one session. OPU can be done on a predictable set schedule,
once every 2/3 weeks. Usually, donor mares are monitored by
ultrasound to select a time for follicle aspiration when an
adequate number of small follicles (10-15), and no large
preovulatory follicles, are present. Aspiration of immature
follicles can be performed year-round; although follicles are
smaller in the non-breeding season, the number of follicles
present does not differ from that in the breeding season and
normal maturation and embryo development can be obtained from
oocytes recovered in the non-breeding season. In some cases, you
can also collect oocytes posthumously, via ovary retrieval, so if
your mare suffers a fatal injury or illness, it is still possible
to acquire embryos from her.
Contact Us
Have any questions or want to schedule an appointment? Get in touch with us.