Abstract
The aim of the present study was to test whether it is possible to eliminate a high percentage of morphologically abnormal sperm in male ejaculate by assisted reproduction using the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) method. Treatment success was evaluated by comparing fertilization, clinical pregnancy and reproduction rates between males with heavy teratospermia (≤1% morphologically normal spermatozoa) and males with a higher percentage (>1%) of normal sperm. In total, 174 patients who had previously undergone 174 ICSI cycles (1 per each pair) were evaluated retrospectively. In the group of patients with heavily impaired sperm morphology (n=37), the percentage of normal spermatozoa was ≤1%. In the second group, males with >1% normal spermatozoa (n=137) were considered as patients with mildly impaired sperm morphology. The results of partner fertilization in these two groups were compared and a lower number of fertilized oocytes was identified in the patients with heavily impaired sperm morphology (P=0.038). However, neither the gravidity nor the take-home baby rates of the partners differed between the patients with mildly and heavily impaired sperm morphology. Trends opposite to that for fertilization were observed for gravidity and delivery [odds ratio (OR), 0.62; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.29-1.30; OR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.26-1.24, respectively]. This indicates that the lower number of fertilized oocytes was not associated with the overall outcome of fertilization and that patients with heavily impaired sperm morphology experience the same benefit from ICSI as patients with mildly impaired sperm morphology.