ABSTRACT
Objective@#To investigate the incidence of chromosome polymorphisms and their influence on semen quality and sperm DNA integrity in male patients receiving in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI).@*METHODS@#We retrospectively analyzed the chromosomal karyotypes and the types and incidence rate of chromosome polymorphisms in 2 370 male patients undergoing IVF/ICSI between June 2016 and June 2018. We classified the patients into groups A (with variation in the secondary constriction region in the autosomal long arm), B (with variation in the short arm of the D/G group chromosomes), C (with interbrachial inversion of chromosome 9) and D (with Y chromosome polymorphisms), and compared the semen parameters and sperm DNA fragmentation indexes (DFI) between the patients with chromosome polymorphisms and those with normal chromosomes.@*RESULTS@#Totally, 154 (6.50%) of the patients undergoing IVF/ICSI were found with chromosome polymorphisms, including 34 cases of secondary constriction variation in the long arm of the autosome (1.43% ［34/2 370］, 22.08% ［34/154］), 82 cases of short arm polymorphisms of the D/G group chromosomes (3.46% ［82/2 370］, 53.25% ［82/154］), 26 cases of interbrachial inversion of chromosome 9 (1.10% ［26/2 370］, 16.88% ［26/154］), 10 cases of Y chromosome polymorphisms (0.42% ［10/2 370］, 6.50% ［10/154］), and 2 cases of mixed chromosome polymorphisms (0.08% ［2/2 370］, 1.42% ［2/154］). The total sperm count was lower in group D than in the other polymorphism groups and the normal chromosome group, but with no statistically significant difference among the five groups (P > 0.05). The sperm progressive motility was also lower in group D than in the other five groups, with statistically significant difference from group B (27.5 ± 13.5 vs. 41.5 ± 21.1, P = 0.027), but not from the other groups (P > 0.05). No statistically significant difference was observed in the sperm DFI between the polymorphism groups and the normal chromosome group (P > 0.05), or among the polymorphism groups (P > 0.05). The proportion of normal semen was lower in group D than in the other four groups, but with no statistically significant difference among the five groups (P > 0.05). The incidence rate of asthenospermia was higher in group D than in the other four groups, but with no statistically significant difference among the five groups (P > 0.05), and so was that of oligoasthenospermia, with statistically significant difference from the normal chromosome group (30.0% vs 8.0%, P = 0.041), but not from the other polymorphism groups (P > 0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Short arm polymorphisms of the D/G group chromosomes are the most common type of chromosome polymorphisms in male patients undergoing IVF/ICSI. Polymorphisms of the Y chromosome have a negative effect on semen quality, while those of the other chromosomes do not significantly affect semen quality and sperm DNA integrity.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the application value of morphology assessment of sperm from fresh semen in routine in vitro fertilization (IVF).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We analyzed the morphology of the sperm from fresh or optimized semen samples and, based on the sperm morphology of the raw semen, allocated 908 IVF cycles due to the pure tubal factor to different groups: morphologically normal sperm (MNS) ≤ 4%, > 4% - ≤ 15%, and > 15% in Trial 1 and MNS ≤ 1%, > 1% - ≤ 2%, > 2% - ≤ 3%, and > 3%-- ≤ 4% in Trial 2. We compared the rates of fertilization, cleavage, high-quality embryo, -blastocyst formation, and pregnancy among different groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The total fertilization rate was significantly lower in the MNS ≤ 4% than in the MNS > 4% - ≤ 15% and >15% groups (74.40% vs 78.61% and 80.03%, P < 0.01). Compared with the MNS ≤ 1%, > 1% - ≤ 2%, and > 2% - ≤ 3% groups, the MNS > 3% - ≤ 4% group showed remarkably increased rates of 2PN normal fertilization (77.23%, 78.97% and 78.99% vs 85.47%, P < 0.01), cleavage (95.71%, 96.01% and 97.27% vs 98.73%, P < 0.05), and blastocyst formation (53.85%, 49.01% and 49.55% vs 63.41%, P < 0.01). No statistically significant differences were observed in the rates of clinical pregnancy, implantation, early abortion, live birth, or malformation at birth among different groups (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>MNS ≤ 4% affected the total rate of fertilization while MNS ≤ 3% reduced the rate of normal fertilization in IVF. However, even MNS ≤ 1% did not result in fertilization disorder or failure. Therefore, teratozoospermia alone was not an indicator of ICSI and sperm mor- phology assessment had no obvious value for predicting the rates of embryo quality, clinical pregnancy, and live birth in IVF.</p>