Perimortem and postmortem sperm acquisition: review of clinical data

Abstract

Purpose: To provide the clinicians with the most comprehensive medical information about sperm acquisition peri/postmortem.

Methods: The review was conducted according to the PRISMA statement. MEDLINE and Cochrane databases were searched up to January 2021. All studies reporting post or perimortem harvesting of sperm with any indication of an outcome, recognition and viability of sperm, and its utilization and treatment outcome were included. Studies that recorded cases but discussed only the ethical or legal issues without any information about the medical details were excluded.

Results: Twenty-four studies were included in this review. One hundred forty-eight cases were described; in 113 of them, sperm was retrieved. A variety of techniques for sperm acquisition were used. The data collected are limited and comparing the efficacy of the different approaches is not feasible. The longest time interval described between the death and viable sperm acquisition was 3 days. The sperm quality varies between the studies. One hundred thirty-six mature oocytes were injected with the retrieved sperm; the fertilization rate was 41%. Transfer cycles of 25 embryos and 8 live births are reported in the medical literature.

Conclusion: The overall low quality and high heterogeneity of the available data impair the ability to draw definitive conclusions. However, it can be stated that sperm acquisition up to at least 3 days postmortem can result in the live birth of healthy offspring. Further studies are needed to clarify the medical questions regarding the best techniques, success rates, and wellbeing of the parties involved.

Keywords: Posthumous reproduction; Postmortem sperm retrieval.