TESA (Testicular sperm aspiration)
TESA or testicular sperm aspiration is a process to obtain sperm in cases of severe infertility. Males who have low sperm count due low sperm production or problems with the reproductive tract as a result of vasectomy or obstructions.
How is TESA performed?
In TESA the scrotum is numbed and a tiny needle is passed into the testicle and sperm along with these the testicular tissue is aspirated out. The sperm is then separated from the testicular tissue.
Which is better TESA or MESA?
MESA or microepididymal sperm aspiration is a process similar to TESA. In MESA also the scrotum is numbed and the sperm along with some epididymal fluid is extracted out. Epididymal sperm tends to be a bit older and has motility.
Although both methods are similar there is a slight difference between both of them. In TESA the testicular sperm is a little young and tends not to be moving but in MESA the epididymal sperm is a little older but tends to be older and motile. In both these techniques the extracted sperm cannot be transferred directly into the uterus or fallopian tubes. The sperm does not fertilize normally but instead specialized technique like IVF or ICSI is used.