Study compares the economics of equine ET and ICSI

A new Journal of Equine Veterinary Science study by Edward L. Squires and R. Ferris compares the cost of conventional embryo transfer, or ET, with intracytoplasmic sperm injection, or ICSI, in mares, addressing a practical question many breeding programs and referral practices are already weighing. The broader literature helps explain why the comparison matters now: ET is a mature technology whose core procedures and costs have changed little in recent decades, while ICSI has become the preferred assisted-fertility option when mare or stallion infertility, limited semen, or uterine and oviductal factors make conventional approaches less workable. Reviews in the field note that ICSI can now achieve pregnancy rates after transfer that are similar to those seen with fresh in vivo-derived embryos, even as the economics depend heavily on laboratory setup, recipient mare strategy, and how many embryos are produced per session. (sciencedirect.com)

Why it matters: For veterinarians, this is less about declaring a universal winner than about matching technology to case selection and client goals. ET remains familiar and relatively stable in cost structure, but recipient herd management is a major expense. ICSI can bypass some causes of poor embryo recovery in older or subfertile mares, and it can make use of limited or compromised semen, yet pricing is more layered and variable because it includes ovum pick-up, lab handling, embryo culture, vitrification, storage, and transfer. Public clinic price lists illustrate that variability: one U.S. provider lists aspiration-related fees plus a per-embryo development fee and vitrification charges, while Avantea in Europe separately prices embryo production, transfer, monitoring, and recipient services, and even discounts additional embryos from the same ICSI session. (sciencedirect.com)

What to watch: Expect the conversation to shift from sticker price alone to cost per usable embryo, cost per pregnancy, and which mares actually benefit most from moving from ET to ICSI. (avantea.it)