Purpose: To explore whether the presence of a Y chromosome AZFc microdeletion confers any adverse effect on the outcomes of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with fresh ejaculated sperm.
Methods: A total of 143 oligozoospermia patients with Y chromosome AZFc microdeletion in ICSI cycles in a five-year period were studied. Infertile men with normal Y chromosome in ICSI at the same time-frame were used as controls matched to the study group for age of female, female's body mass index, male's age, infertility duration and number of oocytes retrieved. Retrospective case-control study was used.
Results: There were no significant differences between groups in clinical outcomes of endometrial thickness, transferred embryos, good embryo rates, implantation rates, biochemical pregnancy rates, clinical pregnancy rates, ectopic pregnancy rates, miscarriage rates, preterm birth rates, the ratio of male and female babies, newborn body height, newborn weight, low birth weight and birth defects (P > 0.05). Patients with Y chromosome AZFc microdeletion had a lower fertilization rate (61.8 % vs. 67.8 %, P < 0.05) and higher cleaved embryo rate (94.0 % vs. 88.1 %, P < 0.05).
Conclusions: ICSI clinical outcomes for oligozoospermic patients with Y chromosome AZFc microdeletion are basically comparable to that of infertile patients with normal Y chromosomes. The results of ICSI were not affected by the AZFc deletion. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) before ICSI for Y chromosome AZFc microdeletion may not be a justifiable regular procedure if the couples didn't care the vertical transmission of Y chromosome deletion.