Tamil Nadu’s First Robot-Assisted ICSI Procedure Results in Successful Birth in Chennai
Chennai: Dhiya Fertility and Maternity Center has reported Tamil Nadu’s first robot-assisted Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) procedure, resulting in a successful pregnancy and the full-term birth of a healthy baby girl.
The procedure was performed on a 37-year-old woman with a nine-year history of infertility, who also had type 2 diabetes and low ovarian reserve.
The patient had previously undergone two cycles of Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) without success, followed by an IVF cycle using conventional ICSI. Although an embryo was developed and transferred, the treatment did not result in pregnancy.
Considering her low ovarian reserve and previous treatment history, the medical team conducted two egg collections in October and November 2025. Three mature eggs were retrieved.
The team then used robot-assisted ICSI to inject a single sperm into each mature egg. All three eggs fertilised, with the resulting embryos developing to the Day-5 blastocyst stage. One Day-5 embryo was transferred to the uterus using the robotic system on January 12, 2026.
The pregnancy progressed normally and resulted in a full-term vaginal delivery of a healthy baby girl.
Robot-assisted ICSI
In conventional ICSI, an embryologist uses a holding pipette with gentle suction to stabilise the egg while a fine pipette injects a single sperm.
The robotic technique used in this case replaces suction with a non-pneumatic mechanical gripper to hold and stabilise the egg. According to the medical team, this provides controlled manipulation during egg positioning and sperm injection.
The procedure was led by Dr. Keerthana Ashwin, Director and Consultant Gynaecologist, Dhiya Fertility and Maternity Center, with Dr. Poovannan, Consultant Anaesthesiologist, and Sreenithya K, Senior Embryologist, supporting the treatment.
Dr. Keerthana Ashwin said the procedure represented a milestone in fertility treatment in Tamil Nadu and noted that the robotic technique provides a controlled approach to egg handling during ICSI.
She also said the team had observed a higher rate of blastocyst development in its experience with robot-assisted ICSI compared with conventional ICSI, while further cases are expected to be treated using the technique.
