Prospective assessment of Y-chromosome microdeletions and reproductive outcomes among infertile couples of Japanese and African origin

BACKGROUND: To compare the frequency of Y-chromosome microdeletions in Japanese and African azoospermic and oligozoospermic men and describe embryo characteristics and reproductive outcome following in vitro fertilization (IVF) with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). METHODS: Our study was performed prospectively at two centers, a private IVF clinic and a university hospital. Japanese and African (Tanzanian) men with nonobstructive azoospermia (NOA) and oligozoospermia (concentration < 5 × 10(6 )/ml) were evaluated for Y-chromosome microdeletions (n = 162). Of the 47 men with NOA, 26 were Japanese and 21 were Africans. Of the 115 men with oligozoospermia, 87 were Japanese and 28 were Africans. Reproductive outcomes of patients with Y-chromosome microdeletions were then compared with those of 19 IVF+ICSI cycles performed on couples with Y-chromosome intact males/tubal factor infertility which served as a control group. RESULTS: Seven azoospermic and oligozoospermic patients had Y-chromosome deletions; the total number of deletions in the AZFc region was five. There was only one deletion in the AZFa region and one complete deletion involving all three regions (AZFa, b, and c) within AZF. In our study population, microdeletion frequency among Japanese men was 6.2% (95% CI, 4.25% – 14.45%), whereas no deletions were identified in the African group (95% CI, 0.0% – 7.27%). The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant, however. Embryos derived from ICSI utilizing sperm with Y-chromosome microdeletion showed reduced rates of fertilization, blastocyst development, implantation, and pregnancy compared to the Y-chromosome intact group, although these observed differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The observed frequency of Y-chromosome microdeletion was 6.2% among Japanese azoospermic and oligozoospermic males; no microdeletions were identified among our African study patients. In this population of couples undergoing IVF+ICSI, there was no statistically significant difference in embryo characteristics or pregnancy outcome between patients with Y-chromosome microdeletion and those with an intact Y-chromosome

Paternal effect on genomic activation, clinical pregnancy and live birth rate after ICSI with cryopreserved epididymal versus testicular spermatozoa

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This study takes an in depth look at embryonic development, implantation, pregnancy and live birth rates with frozen epididymal and testicular sperm from obstructed (OA) and non-obstructed (NOA) patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Paternal effect of sperm source on zygote formation, embryonic cleavage, and genomic activation were examined. Additional outcome parameters monitored were clinical pregnancy rate (CPR), implantation rate (IR) and live birth rate.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this report, we retrospectively analyzed 156 ICSI cycles using cryopreserved epididymal sperm (ES; n = 77) or testicular sperm (TESE; n = 79). The developmental potential of embryos did not appear to be influenced by the type of surgically retrieved sperm. The average number of blastomeres observed on Day 3 was not different among different groups; 7.5 +/- 1.7 (ES), 7.6 +/- 2.1 (TESE-OA) and 6.5 +/- 2.3 (TESE-NOA). Compaction and blastulation rates, both indicators of paternal genomic activation, were similar in embryos derived from ICSI with ES or TESE from OA as well as NOA men. The only parameter significantly affected in NOA-TESE cases was the fertilization rate. CPR and IR with cryopreserved TESE (TESE-OA 59%, 34%, and TESE-NOA 37%, 20%) were also not statistically different, from that achieved with cryopreserved ES (61% and 39%). Live birth rates also appeared to be independent of sperm type. The 87 clinical pregnancies established using cryopreserved TESE and ES, resulted in the birth of 115 healthy infants. No congenital anomalies were noted.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Zygotic activation seems to be independent of sperm origin and type of azoospermia.</p