What Is Surgical Sperm Retrieval?

Surgical sperm retrieval is a surgical procedure that draws sperm directly from the testicles; the technique is usually paired with a complementary fertility treatment, such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The procedure may be performed either with a fine needle or through a biopsy by way of an incision in the testicles. Surgical sperm retrieval is a perfect fit for men who have undergone a vasectomy, whose sperm counts are below average, or for whom ejaculation is problematic, owing to an injury or infection.

Why Choose Surgical Sperm Retrieval?

There are several scenarios in which surgical sperm retrieval may reap rewarding results.

Is Surgical Sperm Retrieval Right for Me?

If you have been diagnosed with absent or blocked vasa deferentia or low sperm reserves, or if you have had a vasectomy in the past, surgical sperm retrieval may be the perfect solution for you. In all three cases, the sperm housed in your testicles have no way of reaching the urethra. While it is possible to surgically correct the blockage in the vasa deferentia, the results often yield a much lower success rate than that of a surgical sperm retrieval procedure.

What Are the Steps of Surgical Sperm Retrieval?

Surgical sperm retrieval may be performed in one of four ways: percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA), testicular sperm aspiration (TESA), microsurgical epididymal sperm aspiration (MESA) or micro testicular sperm extraction (micro TESE). The difference among the procedures lies in the way that the sperm is extracted.

  • 1 Sedation

    On Cloudnine, we believe in enveloping every guest in care and comfort during every routine, however big or small. In keeping with that belief, our procedures entail anaesthetising a guest beforehand, to ensure a smooth, painless experience.

  • 2 Sperm Extraction

    After being produced in the testicles, sperm go on to be stored in the epididymis. Sperm are then extracted through microsurgery, and used for fertilisation. The method of extraction depends on the technique of sperm retrieval.

What Are the Risks of Surgical Sperm Retrieval?

Sperm retrieval is considered a routine surgery, and the procedure is relatively painless when performed under local anaesthesia. The risks associated with sperm retrieval are minor. That said, every single sperm retrieval procedure carried out on Cloudnine is performed with utmost dedication and care, to minimise the risks listed below.

Swelling and Bruising

In some cases, sperm retrieval may lead to slight swelling or bruising, but rest assured, that the discomfort will subside within a few short days.


When performed under unsanitary conditions, any invasive procedure could lead to an infection. On Cloudnine, our sanitised, salubrious facilities are conducive for routine and complicated surgeries.

Insufficient Sperm Extraction

If adequate sperm are not extracted during the retrieval process, the procedure may have to be repeated. Our fertility mavens are time-served specialists in the art of sperm retrieval, and always strive to ensure that a single extraction cycle is optimised.

Surgical sperm retrival

Although sperm is being produced it may not be present in the ejaculation. In these instances, sperm can be retrieved from the male for later artificial insemination. At Cloudnine Fertility Centre, these surgical sperm retrieval procedure is performed with minimally invasive techniques. This includes treatments like percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA), testicular sperm extraction (TESE) Micro- epididymal sperm aspiration (MESA).

Male infertility Treatment

Male infertility can result in a variety of issues such as complete absence of sperm in the ejaculate (azospermia) due to either an obstruction/blockage (obstructive azospermia) often caused by a previous vasectomy or congenital birth defects. For these conditions, there is a surgical option of retrieving sperm either from the vas deferens, epididymis or testis to be used in an IVF cycle(s) to conceive. Fertility experts at Cloudnine, provide all kinds of surgical sperm retrieval techniques to treat male infertility