Successful pregnancy and delivery after testicular sperm extraction despite an undetectable concentration of serum inhibin B in a patient with nonobstructive azoospermia

Fertil Steril. 2002 May;77(5):1077-8. doi: 10.1016/s0015-0282(02)02974-6.

Abstract

Objective: To describe a successful pregnancy and delivery after testicular sperm extraction (TESE) despite an undetectable concentration of serum inhibin B in a man with nonobstructive azoospermia.

Design: Case report.

Setting: Obstetrics and gynecology and reproductive biology departments.

Patient(s): A 31-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man with nonobstructive azoospermia and an undetectable inhibin B serum level.

Intervention(s): TESE, testicular spermatozoa cryopreservation, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Main outcome measure(s): Pregnancy and delivery.

Result(s): Successful pregnancy and delivery of a normal healthy child following a third ICSI cycle with frozen-thawed spermatozoa extracted from the testis.

Conclusion(s): This case report shows that there is no minimal level of inhibin B below which TESE is always unsuccessful. The delivery of a normal healthy baby is strong evidence to perform TESE in these circumstances.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cryopreservation
  • Delivery, Obstetric*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Inhibins / blood*
  • Male
  • Oligospermia / blood*
  • Pregnancy*
  • Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic
  • Spermatozoa*
  • Testis*
  • Tissue and Organ Harvesting*

Substances

  • inhibin B
  • Inhibins