Is ICSI Done With Time-Lapse Embryo Imaging?

ICSI, or intracytoplasmic sperm injection, is a laboratory fertilisation technique. An embryologist places a single sperm inside an egg instead of allowing sperm to fertilise the egg in a dish without injection.

Time-lapse embryo imaging is a monitoring system. It takes repeated images of embryos as they develop in a specialised incubator, allowing the laboratory team to review changes without routinely removing the embryos for observation. It does not inject sperm into an egg and does not replace ICSI.

A clinic may combine them when ICSI is selected for fertilisation and the laboratory also offers time-lapse monitoring during embryo culture. Choosing one does not automatically mean the other will be used; the decision depends on the clinic's equipment, laboratory approach and your treatment plan.

Ask whether ICSI is recommended for your specific fertility circumstances, and whether embryos will be cultured in a time-lapse incubator. Confirm what the imaging records are used for, who reviews them, and whether the laboratory may use the information alongside other embryo assessments.

You can read more about [ICSI](/treatments/fertility-and-assisted-reproduction/icsi/) and [Time-Lapse Embryo Imaging](/technology/time-lapse-embryo-imaging/) before your consultation. The clinic should explain which steps are planned, when they occur, and what happens if the laboratory cannot use the imaging system.

Contact your fertility team promptly if you are unsure whether consent covers ICSI, embryo imaging, or both, or if the plan changes after egg collection. After fertility treatment, seek urgent medical advice for severe abdominal pain, heavy bleeding, breathing difficulty, fainting, or rapidly increasing abdominal swelling, because these symptoms need assessment rather than an imaging or laboratory explanation.

Which part of my plan involves ICSI, and which part involves time-lapse imaging? What information will the embryology team use when deciding which embryo to recommend for transfer?