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Diana Tain: Good Practices for Use Before and During ICSI

Diana Tain/LinkedIn

Aug 31, 2026, 15:16

Diana Tain: Good Practices for Use Before and During ICSI

Diana Tain, Scientific Content Specialist at Future Fertility and IVF Illustrator at Embryologist Musings Illustration Services, shared on LinkedIn:

“I sometimes would describe myself as a selectively rigid person, especially when working as an embryologist…. I love rules and steps…. Somehow, they bring some sort of peace while at work.

It’s been a while, and I am back!

Here’s my unofficial list of ‘Good practices for use before and during ICSI’

Every embryologist has their own way of making their ICSI dishes, but if the case does not require any variations, a standard (if any) should be adhered to. More so in a huge team. Just so there is no confusion when the dishes are to be used. We know that once culture media is prepared on an ICSI dish, the only way we can differentiate the media is by its viscosity.
Always put a number on the droplets containing oocytes and make sure a part of the droplets are placed over the number so you don’t lose track. Be careful that the number does not occupy too large of an area. It’s annoying when the oocytes are ‘lost’ as the dark background camouflages them.
Do not put too much sperm into a droplet; it will just make ideal sperm identification and immobilization difficult
Some people might judge me for this…. Only put 1 oocyte into one droplet! Also, just to make sure that each oocyte is accounted for and there is no mix-up.
For me, I would never have sperm lined up in an injection needle. Immobilize 1 sperm, aspirate 1 sperm, inject 1 oocyte, and repeat!
Concentrate and be present!
Finally, speak each number out loud so your mind, eyes, and ears are all engaged! I know I have made mistakes before by chatting in the lab during ICSI