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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Germ Cell Transplantation and Testis Tissue Xenografting in Mice
Published on: February 6, 2012
[Using testicular sperm to provide fertility for azoospermia men]
1Reproductive Center, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou 510080, China.
Objective:
To investigate the effect of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) on providing fertility for obstructive and non-obstructive azoospermia men after testicular spermatozoa extraction (TESE).
Methods:
TESE and ICSI were performed at the day of ovum pick up.
Results:
TESE and ICSI were performed successfully for 11 cycles in obstructive azoospermia men; The fertilization rate (FR) and clinical pregnancy rate (PR) were 67.0% (69/103) and 18.2% (2/11), respectively. In non-obstructive azoospermia group (21 cycles) including 3 cases of severe oligozoospermia, only in 13 cycles could sperm be found to perform ICSI, with the FR of 59.0% (72/112); 11 cycles had embryo transfer, and the average embryo number for transfer was 2.8. Three cases got clinical pregnancy. In 8 cycles, TESE were failed. The first case delivered a normal boy in June 1998.
Conclusions:
Using testicular sperm for ICSI is relatively difficult, but it is a practical method to provide fertility for obstructive or non-obstructive azoospermia men. Its efficacy, however, is needed to be improved.
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