Pregnancies after intracytoplasmic sperm injection with cryopreserved testicular spermatozoa

Abstract

In 25 patients (14 suffering from obstructive azoospermia, six from non-obstructive azoospermia, three from asthenoazoospermia and two from absence of ejaculation) spermatozoa were extracted from testicular biopsies. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with fresh testicular spermatozoa was performed in 18 cases; spermatozoa in excess were cryopreserved in pills. No pregnancies were achieved. In the remaining seven patients, testicular spermatozoa were retrieved and cryopreserved during a diagnostic testicular biopsy. After thawing, sperm motility was assessed in 17 cases (68%), and 18 ICSI with cryopreserved testicular spermatozoa were performed. The mean two-pronuclear (2PN) fertilization rate was 59%, the mean cleavage rate was 92%, and six clinical pregnancies were achieved, all of them still ongoing (pregnancy rate 33%). A comparison of the results of ICSI carried out with fresh or cryopreserved testicular spermatozoa showed that the mean 2PN fertilization rates per cycle (53 compared with 55%), mean cleavage rates per cycle (99 compared with 96%) and embryo quality were not significantly different. In conclusion, cryopreservation of testicular spermatozoa is feasible, even in patients with non-obstructive azoospermia, and the results of ICSI with frozen-thawed testicular spermatozoa are similar to those obtained using fresh testicular spermatozoa. Cryopreservation of testicular spermatozoa may avoid repetition of testicular biopsies to retrieve spermatozoa for successive ICSI cycles in patients in whom the only source of motile spermatozoa is the testicle.

Efficacy of cryopreservation of embryos generated by intracytoplasmic sperm injection with spermatozoa from frozen testicular tissue

“…Several studies have reported that the lower number and motility of frozen sperm might affect fertilization and pregnancy rates compared with fresh sperm [25][26][27]. However, no differences in fertilization, embryo cleavage, pregnancy, delivery, and spontaneous abortion rates were reported between fresh and frozen-thawed testicular sperm from men with OA and NOA patients [10,11,30,33]. On the other hand, Palermo et al [34] reported a lower fertilization rate for NOA patients (57 %) compared to OA patients (80 %); however, the clinical pregnancy rate was similar for both patient groups.…”

Effect of genistein supplementation of thawing medium on characteristics of frozen human spermatozoa

“…To date, thousands of live births have been achieved in IVI facilities [24]. Cryopreservation in pellets offers some advantages over other packaging systems.…”

“…Cryopreservation in pellets offers some advantages over other packaging systems. These pellets have a higher surface-to-volume ratio with important implications for cooling, freezing and thawing rates of the semen [24,25]. Pellet freezing of domestic animal semen generally produces the best results, but there are commercial pressures to use other methods of packaging [27].…”

Effect of in Vitro Activation by Glutathione Supplemented Medium on Sperm Motility, Morphology and Vitality During Sperm Cryopreservation of Asthenozoospermic Men.

“…The cryovials was placed in a cryoholders and kept in refrigerator for 15 minutes, then the cryoholders exposed to liquid nitrogen vapor for 10 minutes, before they immersed and kept in liquid nitrogen tank (16) .…”