Azoospermia: A Genomic Review

Azoospermia or the absence of sperm in semen is one of the sperm disorders that results in male infertility. There are two types of azoospermia, the first one isazoospermia caused by obstruction of the vas deferens (obstructive azoospermia) and the second one is azoospermia due to the damage of testes (nonobstructive azoospermia). The etiology of azoospermia could be genetic or non-genetic. Genetic factors may occur in genomics starting from chromosome until gene level or single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs). At the chromosome level, there is Klinefelter’s syndrome (47, XXY) to the Y chromosome microdeletion, whereas at the gene level there is mutation of jsd, Bmp8b and other genes. At the level of SNPs, Genome Wide SNP Association Study (GWAS) had uncovered 20 SNPs which were related significantly to azoospermia. Extensive knowledge of genomics review on male infertility, is expected to promote the development of investigation and management of azoospermia

Sperm DNA Fragmentation Index: A Comparison Study of Success Rates among Natural, Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)-Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) Pregnancy Programs

Background:   Some studies have reported a relationship between the sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) and the rate of fertilization and pregnancy. This study was designed to assess the mean sperm DNA fragmentation in pregnancies that occur in infertile couples, whether in natural pregnancy, intrauterine insemination (IUI), and in vitro fertilization (IVF) – intra cytoplasmic injection (ICSI). Methods: This research is an observational analytic study with a cross-sectional design. The sample taken in this study were infertile patients that underwent natural pregnancy or IUI or IVF-ICSI at Yasmin Infertility Clinic of Dr. Ciptomangunkusumo Hospital period 2018-2020 with a consecutive sampling technique. The research data was processed and analyzed by the Mann-Whitney test using the SPSS application. Results: The mean DFI of sperm in men with infertile couples who successfully conceived naturally was 10.7% (mild), while IUI was 20.4% (moderate), and IVF-ICSI was 30.5% (poor). The mean DFI in semen samples of men from infertile couples who underwent a natural program was significantly lower in those who successfully conceived compared to those who did not. Similar results were also shown in the IUI and IVF-ICSI programs, which showed a significantly lower DFI compared to non-pregnant women. Conclusion: DFI can be applied as a marker for selecting the type of pregnancy program in infertility management