Further evaluation of the split ejaculate for artificial insemination

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Medicine
• Andrology
• Infertility Research

Background:

• Artificial insemination with husband semen (AIH) is a common treatment for infertility.
• Previous studies on AIH efficacy have yielded varied conclusions due to diverse patient indications.
• Oligozoospermia and oligoasthenozoospermia are common causes of male infertility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of using the best split ejaculate fraction for AIH in couples with male factor infertility.
• To determine if optimizing semen quality through fraction selection improves pregnancy rates in cases of oligozoospermia or oligoasthenozoospermia.

Main Methods:

• Study included 55 couples with male partners diagnosed with oligozoospermia or oligoasthenozoospermia.
• Exclusion criteria included female anatomical abnormalities.
• AIH was performed using the best split ejaculate fraction of semen.

Main Results:

• Despite seminal parameters in the fertile range for the best split fractions, the achieved pregnancy rate was 18% (10/55 couples).
• This pregnancy rate was comparable to historical data using whole ejaculates for AIH.
• Spontaneous pregnancy rate after treatment cessation was 13% (6/55 couples).

Conclusions:

• Utilizing the best split ejaculate fraction for AIH in oligozoospermic or oligoasthenozoospermic men did not significantly enhance pregnancy outcomes.
• The findings suggest that men with chronic seminal deficiencies may produce spermatozoa with sub-microscopic pathologies affecting fertility.
• Further research is needed to identify and address these unobservable sperm defects.