Accessibility Statement Skip Navigation
  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing
  • Login
  • GDPR
  • Create a Free Account
Return to PRWeb homepage
  • News
  • Resources
  • Contact
When typing in this field, a list of search results will appear and be automatically updated as you type.

Searching for your content...

No results found. Please change your search terms and try again.
  • News in Focus
      • Browse News Releases

      • All News Releases
      • Multimedia Gallery

      • All Multimedia
      • All Photos
      • All Videos
  • Business & Money
      • Auto & Transportation

      • Aerospace, Defense
      • Air Freight
      • Airlines & Aviation
      • Automotive
      • Maritime & Shipbuilding
      • Railroads and Intermodal Transportation
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Transportation, Trucking & Railroad
      • Travel
      • Trucking and Road Transportation
      • View All Auto & Transportation

      • Business Technology

      • Blockchain
      • Broadcast Tech
      • Computer & Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Components
      • Electronic Design Automation
      • Financial Technology
      • High Tech Security
      • Internet Technology
      • Nanotechnology
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Semiconductors
      • View All Business Technology

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Financial Services & Investing

      • Accounting News & Issues
      • Acquisitions, Mergers and Takeovers
      • Banking & Financial Services
      • Bankruptcy
      • Bond & Stock Ratings
      • Conference Call Announcements
      • Contracts
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Dividends
      • Earnings
      • Earnings Forecasts & Projections
      • Financing Agreements
      • Insurance
      • Investments Opinions
      • Joint Ventures
      • Mutual Funds
      • Private Placement
      • Real Estate
      • Restructuring & Recapitalization
      • Sales Reports
      • Shareholder Activism
      • Shareholder Meetings
      • Stock Offering
      • Stock Split
      • Venture Capital
      • View All Financial Services & Investing

      • General Business

      • Awards
      • Commercial Real Estate
      • Corporate Expansion
      • Earnings
      • Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
      • Human Resource & Workforce Management
      • Licensing
      • New Products & Services
      • Obituaries
      • Outsourcing Businesses
      • Overseas Real Estate (non-US)
      • Personnel Announcements
      • Real Estate Transactions
      • Residential Real Estate
      • Small Business Services
      • Socially Responsible Investing
      • Surveys, Polls and Research
      • Trade Show News
      • View All General Business

  • Science & Tech
      • Consumer Technology

      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Blockchain
      • Cloud Computing/Internet of Things
      • Computer Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Consumer Electronics
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Gaming
      • Financial Technology
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Multimedia & Internet
      • Peripherals
      • Social Media
      • STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math)
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Consumer Technology

      • Energy & Natural Resources

      • Alternative Energies
      • Chemical
      • Electrical Utilities
      • Gas
      • General Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Oil & Energy
      • Oil and Gas Discoveries
      • Utilities
      • Water Utilities
      • View All Energy & Natural Resources

      • Environ­ment

      • Conservation & Recycling
      • Environmental Issues
      • Environmental Policy
      • Environmental Products & Services
      • Green Technology
      • Natural Disasters
      • View All Environ­ment

      • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Aerospace & Defense
      • Agriculture
      • Chemical
      • Construction & Building
      • General Manufacturing
      • HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning)
      • Machinery
      • Machine Tools, Metalworking and Metallurgy
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Paper, Forest Products & Containers
      • Precious Metals
      • Textiles
      • Tobacco
      • View All Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Telecomm­unications

      • Carriers and Services
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Telecommunications Equipment
      • Telecommunications Industry
      • VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Telecomm­unications

  • Lifestyle & Health
      • Consumer Products & Retail

      • Animals & Pets
      • Beers, Wines and Spirits
      • Beverages
      • Bridal Services
      • Cannabis
      • Cosmetics and Personal Care
      • Fashion
      • Food & Beverages
      • Furniture and Furnishings
      • Home Improvement
      • Household, Consumer & Cosmetics
      • Household Products
      • Jewelry
      • Non-Alcoholic Beverages
      • Office Products
      • Organic Food
      • Product Recalls
      • Restaurants
      • Retail
      • Supermarkets
      • Toys
      • View All Consumer Products & Retail

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Health

      • Biometrics
      • Biotechnology
      • Clinical Trials & Medical Discoveries
      • Dentistry
      • FDA Approval
      • Fitness/Wellness
      • Health Care & Hospitals
      • Health Insurance
      • Infection Control
      • International Medical Approval
      • Medical Equipment
      • Medical Pharmaceuticals
      • Mental Health
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Supplementary Medicine
      • View All Health

      • Sports

      • General Sports
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Sporting Events
      • Sports Equipment & Accessories
      • View All Sports

      • Travel

      • Amusement Parks and Tourist Attractions
      • Gambling & Casinos
      • Hotels and Resorts
      • Leisure & Tourism
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Passenger Aviation
      • Travel Industry
      • View All Travel

  • Policy & Public Interest
      • Policy & Public Interest

      • Advocacy Group Opinion
      • Animal Welfare
      • Congressional & Presidential Campaigns
      • Corporate Social Responsibility
      • Domestic Policy
      • Economic News, Trends, Analysis
      • Education
      • Environmental
      • European Government
      • FDA Approval
      • Federal and State Legislation
      • Federal Executive Branch & Agency
      • Foreign Policy & International Affairs
      • Homeland Security
      • Labor & Union
      • Legal Issues
      • Natural Disasters
      • Not For Profit
      • Patent Law
      • Public Safety
      • Trade Policy
      • U.S. State Policy
      • View All Policy & Public Interest

  • People & Culture
      • People & Culture

      • Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American
      • African American
      • Asian American
      • Children
      • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • Hispanic
      • Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual
      • Men's Interest
      • People with Disabilities
      • Religion
      • Senior Citizens
      • Veterans
      • Women
      • View All People & Culture

  • Hamburger menu
  • Cision PRWeb provides efficient communication tools to continuously engage with target audiences across multiple online channels
  • Create a Free Account
    • ALL CONTACT INFO
    • Contact Us


      11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday

  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • News in Focus
    • Browse All News
    • Multimedia Gallery
  • Business & Money
    • Auto & Transportation
    • Business Technology
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Financial Services & Investing
    • General Business
  • Science & Tech
    • Consumer Technology
    • Energy & Natural Resources
    • Environ­ment
    • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing
    • Telecomm­unications
  • Lifestyle & Health
    • Consumer Products & Retail
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Health
    • Sports
    • Travel
  • Policy & Public Interest
  • People & Culture
    • People & Culture
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR

Groundbreaking New Procedure for Azoospermic Men Involving Minimally Invasive Sperm Mapping Combined with Extended Sperm Search and Microfreeze Leads to First Pregnancy


News provided by

Maze Sexual & Reproductive Health

Mar 07, 2024, 10:00 ET

Share this article

Share toX

Share this article

Share toX


Maze Sexual & Reproductive Health is Sole Medical Practice Worldwide to Offer Grid Needle Sperm Extraction and MicroSearch (GN-SEM) to find sperm in Azoospermic Men

NEW YORK, March 7, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --Maze Sexual & Reproductive Health has announced the first pregnancy worldwide as a result of a new, minimally invasive procedure. Specifically, sperm are collected via Sperm Mapping, and then searched for and, if found, frozen or used fresh using Extended Sperm Search and Microfreeze (ESSM). They can then be injected into a partner's egg. The combined procedure, called Grid Needle Sperm Extraction and MicroSearch (GN-SEM), will allow some men with no sperm in the ejaculate (azoospermia) the ability to initiate a pregnancy without surgically opening up the testicle.

According to Michael Werner, M.D, FACS, Maze founder and medical director and a board-certified urologist, "Maze is the only medical practice in the U.S. to offer the Extended Sperm Search and Microfreeze lab procedure, originally developed in Israel, which finds sperm in ejaculate of 40% of men whose sperm are not found in a traditional semen analysis. With ESSM, these sperm can then be frozen in special dishes and thawed, with 90% of them surviving the freeze and thaw process. With men with cryptospermia (very very few sperm in the ejaculate) we have found and frozen sperm in almost 100% of men! ''

I'm extremely proud of the fact that we have profoundly changed the way we treat azoospermic and cryptospermic men. With these incredibly groundbreaking techniques, there will be more pregnancies with dramatically less intervention.

Post this

Maze first performed the ESSM technique in 2019. As of today, Maze has 30 babies born from sperm collected through ESSM, and 97 men whose sperm are stored.

"However, by combining these two procedures, we are now able to take advantage of the thoroughness of ESSM in finding sperm in the ejaculate to find sperm in needle aspirates of the testicle," Dr. Werner noted.

Maze's New GN-SEM Procedure Leads to Pregnancy

In this case, a 29-year-old male with azoospermia initially underwent the ESSM (extensive sperm search) at Maze; however, no sperm were found on ESSM alone.

Dr. Werner wanted to find sperm but wanted to avoid micro-TESE (microdissection testicular sperm extraction), an invasive and expensive procedure that involves opening the scrotum under anesthesia and removing multiple tissue samples to check if they contain sperm. According to Dr. Werner, "With micro-TESE, patients undergo a surgery with anesthesia and can experience significant postoperative discomfort, as well as risk damage to the testicle in terms of testosterone production."

So, he performed what is usually only a diagnostic procedure, called Sperm Mapping, which aspirates testicular tissue (hopefully, including sperm) methodically, using a grid. However, instead of placing these aspirates on slides, they were combined and using ESSM, the aspirates were immediately examined to look for sperm. Thus, Dr. Werner put together the Sperm Mapping to procure sperm combined with ESSM to look for them, and called the combination GN-SEM. This gives the possibility of finding and freezing usable sperm in one relatively non-invasive procedure.

In this case, the patient had 18 fine needle aspirates collected from each testicle via Sperm Mapping. Moving, and thus living, sperm were identified, and frozen. An IVF center subsequently performed two IVF cycles; the frozen sperm were then thawed and injected into the patient's partner's eggs; embryos were created, and the couple had an embryo transfer in September 2023. The patient's wife is now pregnant and due in June 2024.

"This procedure is significantly less invasive and expensive than the typical micro-TESE." Dr. Werner explained. "I am beyond excited about these results!"

According to the patient "George," "When I was diagnosed with azoospermia, I searched online for an option that was less invasive than the micro-TESE and discovered the ESSM procedure at Maze. Although disappointed after an unsuccessful ESSM, I was thrilled to hear that Maze offered another option—the GN-SEM, which combined Sperm Mapping with ESSM. This procedure was still much less invasive than the micro-TESE so we decided to give it a try. Dr. Werner explained the procedure in very clear terms, which made the experience less stressful. We are so grateful to the Maze team and are eagerly awaiting the birth of our baby in June!"

"I'm extremely proud of the fact that we have profoundly changed the way we treat azoospermic and cryptospermic men. With these incredibly groundbreaking techniques, there will be more pregnancies with dramatically less intervention. We are having men come in from all areas of the world for these procedures, many sent by their doctors! The impact ESSM and, when needed GN-SEM, will have on these couples trying to conceive will continue to be even more far reaching and life-changing," said Dr. Werner.

About Maze Sexual & Reproductive Health

Michael A. Werner, MD, a board-certified, fellowship trained urologist and microsurgeon, is the founder and Medical Director of Maze Sexual & Reproductive Health. Dr. Werner started his practice in 1994, adopting a team approach to meet patient's needs, which includes sexual educators/therapists, and expert clinicians. With offices in Westchester, NY, and New York City, Maze Sexual & Reproductive Health includes on-site lab, Maze Laboratories, Maze Men's Sexual & Reproductive Health, treating male infertility and men's sexual health, including low testosterone, and erectile and ejaculatory dysfunction, and Maze Women's Sexual Health, treating menopause and women's sexual health. Visit https://www.mazemenshealth.com .

Media Contact

Susan Bernard, Maze Sexual & Reproductive Health, 1 914-992-0033, [email protected], https://www.mazehealth.com/

Nina Dietrich, Nina Dietrich LLC, 1 2035337134, [email protected], Nina Dietrich LLC

SOURCE Maze Sexual & Reproductive Health

Modal title

Maze Sexual & Reproductive Health Logo
Maze Sexual & Reproductive Health Logo
Michael Werner, M.D., FACS, Maze Founder and Medical Director (PRNewsfoto/Maze Sexual & Reproductive Health)
Michael Werner, M.D., FACS, Maze Founder and Medical Director (PRNewsfoto/Maze Sexual & Reproductive Health)
Maze Sexual & Reproductive Health Logo Michael Werner, M.D., FACS, Maze Founder and Medical Director (PRNewsfoto/Maze Sexual & Reproductive Health)

Contact PRWeb

  • 11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday
  • Contact Us

About PRWeb

  • About PRWeb
  • Partners
  • Partnership Programs
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Resources

Why PRWeb

  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing

Accounts

  • Create a Free Account
  • Log in
  • Contact Us

Do not sell or share my personal information:

  • Submit via [email protected] 
  • Call Privacy toll-free: 877-297-8921

Contact Cision

Products

About

My Services
  • All News Releases
  • Online Member Center
  • ProfNet
Cision Distribution Helpline
888-776-0942
  • Legal
  • Site Map
  • RSS
  • Cookie Settings
Copyright © 2025 Cision US Inc.