Journal of Fertilization: In Vitro - IVF-Worldwide, Reproductive Medicine, Genetics & Stem Cell Biol
Open Access

Abstract

Influence of Male Personal and Demographic Characteristics on Semen Parameters and Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection Outcome; Is Sperm DNA Integrity Testing Clinically Relevant?

Sawsan K El-Sayed, Naglaa A Ahmed, Mohamed I Aref and Ahmed F El-Sherbiny

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of male characteristics on semen quality and to evaluate the impact of items of both parameters on ICSI outcome, with special focus on the clinical significance of sperm DNA integrity testing.

Patients and Methods: This study included 100 non-azoospermic infertile men scheduled for ICSI. For each patient, full personal, demographic and medical data were collected and its relation to standard semen parameters, sperm DNA fragmentation (assessed by COMET assay) and ICSI outcomes were analysed.

Results: Basic semen parameters were not correlated well with the studied male characteristics, except for the significant difference between hash users and non-users regarding seminal volume (p=0.019).

Among the studied male characteristics, the only parameters that correlated well with increased sperm mean DNA fragmentation index was increased husband's age and smoking status (p< 0.000), however, pregnancy outcome after ICSI was not affected by the three parameters.

A significant statistical correlation was found between urban residency, chemical occupational exposure and increased female age with negative pregnancy outcome (p=0.018, 0.036 and 0.040 respectively), while there was no significant statistical correlation between pregnancy outcome neither with other male characteristics nor with standard semen parameters.

Conclusion: Paternal characteristics were not correlated well with conventional semen parameters. Although sperm DNA status was affected by smoking and aging, it does not influence ICSI outcome. Contrarily, other male characteristics (e.g. Urban residency and chemical occupational exposure) negatively correlated with pregnancy outcome without concomitant affection of sperm DNA status, which exclude DNA disruption as an explanation for the negative impact of paternal factors on ICSI.

Published Date: 2018-12-21; Received Date: 2018-11-14