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Andrology: The result of intracytoplasmic sperm injection is not related to any of the three basic sperm parameters
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1995
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FertilityReproductive HealthMinimal Sperm RequirementsGynecologyIntracytoplasmic Sperm InjectionSemen AnalysisReproductive BiologyFertilisationEmbryologyReproductive MedicineMale InfertilityPublic HealthSexual And Reproductive HealthInfertilityAndrologyBasic Sperm ParametersSperm BiologyGameteSperm ParametersHuman ReproductionUrologyDevelopmental BiologySperm ImpairmentMedicine
High success rates have been reported for ICSI in treating andrological infertility, yet the relationship between sperm parameters and ICSI outcomes has not been studied. This study aimed to examine how total sperm count, motility, and morphology affect ICSI outcomes using retrospective analysis of 966 cycles. The authors retrospectively analyzed fertilization, embryo development, and pregnancy rates from 966 micro‑injection cycles performed with ejaculated semen. Results showed that sperm count, motility, and morphology did not significantly influence ICSI success, except when an immotile sperm was injected, and the sole criterion for success is at least one viable sperm per oocyte.
High success rates have been reported for the use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in alleviating essentially andrological infertility. However, neither the relationship between any of the sperm parameters and the result of ICSI nor the minimal sperm requirements for ICSI have been investigated so far. In this paper, our objective was therefore to study the relationship between three basic sperm parameters (total sperm count, sperm motility and morphology) and the outcome of ICSI by retrospective analyses of fertilization, embryo development and pregnancy rates in 966 micro-injection cycles, performed with ejaculated semen. The results showed that there was no important influence from either the type or the extent of sperm impairment on the outcome of ICSI. Even in the most extreme cases of male-factor infertility, where cryptozoospermia or total astheno- or total teratozoospermia was diagnosed in the initial semen sample, high fertilization and pregnancy rates were obtained by ICSI. Only one condition had a strongly negative influence on the result of ICSI: where an immotile (presumably dead) spermatozoon was injected into the oocyte. Thus the only ultimate criterion for successful ICSI is the presence of at least one living spermatozoon per oocyte in the pellet of the treated semen sample used for micro-injection.