Infertility: Standard IVF is fine for most people. So why are so many offered an expensive sperm injection they don't need? 25 Apr, 2021 02:56 AM 6 minutes to read Standard IVF is fine for most people. So why are so many offered an expensive alternative? Photo / 123rf Standard IVF is fine for most people. So why are so many offered an expensive alternative? Photo / 123rf Other An expensive IVF technique, routinely offered in fertility clinics around the world, offers no extra benefits to standard IVF in the vast majority of cases, our new research shows. The technique, known as intracytoplasmic sperm injection or ICSI, was developed to help couples where the man has a low sperm count. But it is now the main fertilisation method clinics use in Australia and New Zealand, even when sperm counts are normal.