Prognostic value of male diagnostic profiles in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)

Possible correlations between male hormone and semen parameters with pregnancy and oocyte fertilization rates following intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) were investigated. The study is based on 290 couples who underwent ICSI therapy for the first time. The parameters evaluated were male age, serum levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone, sperm concentration, sperm motility, normal sperm morphology, index of teratozoospermia (TZI) and sperm vitality. A marginal, barely significant association was found between the fertilization rate and serum FSH levels in the male partner (p = 0.046). There was no relevant association between male parameters and pregnancy rates. The study confirms that male hormonal and semen parameters are of low prognostic value for the outcome of ICSI.