Comparison of reproductive outcomes in ICSI cycles using sperm chip technique and density gradient technique in men with normal semen analysis

Abstract

Background Microfluidic sperm sorting procedure or sperm chip technique is a chemical free method of selecting sperms using a disposable chip. It is a new gentle alternative for sperm processing which has been produced to obtain sperm with higher rates of motility and better morphology, as well as to reduce DNA Fragmentation (DFI) in sperms with high DNA fragmentation to nearly undetectable levels. We aimed to evaluate the microfluidic sperm sorting procedure (sperm chip technique) on clinical pregnancy rates in patients who underwent intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Methods The patients in whom fresh embryo transfer (ET) on Day-3 or 5 after ICSI had been performed were analyzed in this prospective randomized cohort study. Results Of those, 102 patients underwent ICSI with sperm isolated using sperm chip technique (study group) while 111 patients underwent ICSI with sperm isolated using swim-up technique (control group). No significant difference was observed between the sperm chip group and control group in terms of fertilization rate in patients who underwent ET on the 3rd or 5th day. In the patients having ET on Day-3, Grade 1 embryos were obtained similarly between the sperm chip group and control group. Grade 1 embryos transferred on Day-5 were observed significantly more frequently in the study group (p = 0.050). However, clinical pregnancy rate did not show significant difference between the groups in patients who were transferred on both the 3rd and 5th days. Conclusion(s): Although sperm selection using by sperm chip technique provides advantage in terms of blastocyst quality, use of this technique does not enhance success in terms of clinical pregnancy.