Infertility is caused by heterogeneous risks, but most of them are unexplained. The sperm DNA Fragmentation Index (DFI) was increasingly acknowledged as a parameter for the evaluation of male infertility. This study aimed to investigate the association between sperm DFI and laboratory and clinical outcomes in a population with unexplained infertility.
The clinical data of an infertile population was collected for the selection of reproductive patients with unexplained infertility. The authors classified the patients with normal sperm parameters in a control group (DFI < 25%) and an observation group (DFI ≥ 25%) and compared the difference in basal characteristics, laboratory, and clinical outcomes between the two groups. The authors conducted a correlation analysis to examine the relationship between DFI and the number of D3 good-quality embryos, as well as the clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate. A total of 176 cases were enrolled in the retrospective study.
The observation group (n = 88) showed advanced male age, lower sperm concentration, progressive motility, and morphology assessment than the control group. In addition, lower No. of D3 good-quality embryos, clinical pregnancy rate, and the live birth rate were shown in the observation group. A negative correlation between the DFI and No. of D3 good-quality embryos (rs = -0.347, p < 0.001) or live birth rate (rs = -0.185, p = 0.028) was shown.
Sperm DFI was a good indicator for the prediction of D3 good-quality embryos in unexplained infertility couples, but it did not provide sufficient information regarding clinical pregnancy outcome but live pregnancy outcome.
Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil). 2023 Jul 27*** epublish ***
Qingxin Wang, Xiaoling Gu, Yannan Chen, Minyan Yu, Lingna Peng, Shuping Zhong, Xia Wang, Jinxing Lv
Dushu Lake Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Jiangsu, China; Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Jiangsu, China. Electronic address: ., Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Jiangsu, China., Dushu Lake Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Jiangsu, China; The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Jiangsu, China.