Objective: To determine the effect of sperm morphology on fertilization rate, cleavage rate,and clinical pregnancy rate, which may help to choose a best protocol before assisted reproductive technology (ART).
Methods: We a retrospectively surveyed semen data of 1369 ART patients from January to December 2008 in our hospital. We divided sperms from 751 patients into 4 groups based on the sperm morphology rate: ≤5.0% (normal), 5.1%-10.0%, 10.1%-15.0%, and >15.0%. In vitro fertilization (IVF) was used for 490 patients or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) for 261. We also divided sperms from 618 donors into 4 groups based on the sperm morphology rate: 14.0%-17.0%(normal), 17.1%-19.0%, 19.1%-23.0%, and >23.0%. Only IVF was used for these donors. The fertilization rate, cleavage rate, and clinical pregnancy rate among each group were analyzed and discussed.
Results: During the IVF(patients or donors) cycle, there was a significant difference among the 4 groups in the fertilization rate and clinical pregnancy rate (P<0.05), but there was no difference in the cleavage rate (P>0.05). In the ICSI cycle, there was no significant difference among the 4 groups in the fertilization rate, clinical pregnancy rate, and cleavage rate (P>0.05).
Conclusion: Sperm morphology affects the outcome of IVF. There is no significant influence of sperm morphology on the outcome of ICSI. ICSI is an optimal alternative for patients with abnormal morphological sperms in ART.