Variability in in vitro fertilization outcomes of prepubertal goat oocytes explained by basic semen analyses

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Biology
• Animal Science
• Veterinary Medicine

Background:

• In vitro fertilization (IVF) in goats is crucial for assisted reproduction.
• Accurate prediction of male fertility is essential for efficient IVF programs.
• Understanding sperm parameter changes during IVF is key to improving success rates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze changes in caprine spermatozoa during IVF.
• To establish a predictive model for in vitro fertility based on semen assessment.
• To correlate sperm parameters with IVF outcomes.

Main Methods:

• In vitro fertilization (IVF) of in vitro matured prepubertal goat oocytes.
• Assessment of sperm parameters: motility, viability, and acrosomal integrity.
• Statistical analysis including correlation and stepwise multiple regression.

Main Results:

• Moderate correlations were found between some sperm parameters and IVF outcomes.
• Predictive models explained 62-86% of the variation in IVF outcomes.
• Key parameters for prediction included progressive motility, dead sperm with intact acrosome, acrosome reaction incidence, and viability post-insemination.

Conclusions:

• Semen assessment, particularly progressive motility and viability, can predict in vitro fertility in goats.
• The developed models show potential for predicting IVF success.
• Further validation with larger sample sizes is recommended to confirm predictive accuracy.