Sperm with globozoospermia have a shape similar to a balloon, hence the name. This is a very unusual and serious form of teratozoospermia.
These balloon-shaped sperm lack an acrosome, so they can't fertilize an egg naturally. Sperm with globozoospermia also couldn't fertilize the egg through artificial insemination or conventional IVF.
Therefore, the only way for balloon-shaped sperm to fertilize an egg is through ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection). In this procedure, an embryologist directly injects the sperm into the egg with a microinjection, making fertilization possible.
Even with fertilization via ICSI, it's still unlikely to achieve a viable pregnancy with globozoospermia. In addition to lacking an acrosome, these sperm may also have an altered genetic load.
