ICSI Cycles Using Motile Sperm from Fresh Ejaculate in Cryptozoospermic Patients and the Extremely Severe Oligospermia Patients Yield Similar Reproductive Outcome

Abstract

Objective:In this retrospective study, we analyzed the in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinical and laboratory outcome of cryptozoospermia cases compared to the extremely severe oligospermia cases in a single IVF center.Materials and Methods:All the IVF laboratory and clinical outcomes of cryptozoospermia and extremely severe oligospermia cases were analyzed and compared between January 2014 and December 2019 in Istanbul Florence Nightingale IVF Center. The same reproductive group treated all couples. Virtual azoospermia or cryptozoospermia were diagnosed once the mature sperm cells could be recognized after centrifugation (group 1). Patients without motile sperm were excluded. Extremely severe oligospermia was defined as a sperm count was less than <1 mil/mL (group 2). The study consisted of 33 virtual azoospermic patients with 40 cycles, whereas there were 40 severely oligospermic patients with 45 cycles. All patients underwent the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) procedure and all the embryos were let to grow until the blastocyst stage on day 5. Groups were compared for clinical and laboratory reproductive outcome.Results:Both the median maternal and paternal ages were similar. All outcomes including fertilization rates, blastulation rates, clinical pregnancy and delivery rates were comparable. The miscarriage rates did not also show any statistical difference.Conclusion:Reproductive outcomes in cryptozoospermic IVF patients are comparable to those of extremely severe oligospermic patients provided that the ICSI is performed using motile spermatozoa. Our results favor using sperm from fresh ejaculate rather than surgical sperm retrieval when motile sperm is available in cryptozoospermic IVF patients.

Keywords

• cryptozoospermia
• male infertility
• oligospermia
• ivf