Techniques of sperm selection and in vitro fertilization results

This study was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of four techniques for sperm selection in vitro fertilization (IVF) programme. Swim Up, Percoll, Sedimentation and Mini-Percoll were evaluated in 440 IVF cycles. The various methods were performed according to the motility and the number of spermatozoa, and the degree of cellularity of the sample; Swim Up and Percoll were used when sperm count was superior 20 million/ml, Sedimentation and Mini-Percoll when the sperm count was less than 20 million/ml. There was no difference in fertilization rate and in the number of replaced embryos per transfer with Swim Up compared to Percoll procedure; the Sedimentation technique improved fertilization (p < 0.05) and embryos rate (p < 0.001) compared to Mini-Percoll sperm preparation. There was no difference in pregnancy rate with Swim Up compared to Percoll and Sedimentation compared to Mini-Percoll procedure. We conclude that with advanced reproductive procedures where serious sperm disorders exist, the choose of the tecnique of sperm selection, most appropriate, according with the motility and the number of spermatozoa, the debrits and nonspermatic cells of the semen, might produce a suspension of spermatozoa with high fertilization potential.