Factors affecting fecundity among sperm donors: a multivariate analysis

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Biology
• Andrology
• Spermatozoa Analysis

Background:

• Predicting male fertility potential in sperm donors is crucial for successful assisted reproduction.
• Routine semen analysis parameters do not always correlate with actual reproductive success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key predictors of male fertility potential among sperm donors.
• To evaluate the relationship between semen characteristics and reproduction rate (RR).

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 683 intracervical insemination (ICI) cycles from 50 anonymous sperm donors.
• Evaluation of semen parameters including morphology, post-thaw motility, propidium iodide (PI)-negative spermatozoa percentage, and DNA fragmentation index (DFI).
• Stepwise linear regression analysis to determine predictive power for donor fecundity.

Main Results:

• Reproduction rate (RR) was significantly higher with sperm morphology ≥18% (26.2% vs 19.4%).
• Post-thaw total and progressive motility were directly proportional to RR.
• Higher RR observed with PI-negative spermatozoa ≥45% (26.2% vs 16.4%) and DFI <8% (37.5% vs 17.9%).
• Normal morphology, post-thaw progressive motility, PI-negative spermatozoa, and DFI were powerful predictors of donor fecundity in ICIs.

Conclusions:

• Spermatozoa plasma membrane integrity and DNA integrity are critical for sperm donor fecundity.
• Incorporating tests for morphology, motility, PI-negative spermatozoa, and DFI into routine semen analysis can enhance sperm donor recruitment and improve clinical pregnancy rates.