The outcome of intracytoplasmic injection of fresh and cryopreserved ejaculated spermatozoa—a prospective randomized study

Abstract

From our data we can conclude that cryopreservation of spermatozoa from men with poor sperm quality does not negatively affect fertilization and pregnancy rates after ICSI. A larger study will be needed to investigate whether the use of cryopreserved spermatozoa can be helpful in selecting the most vital spermatozoa for ICSI.

Cryopreservation and Sperm DNA Integrity

“…Freezing of sperm before initiation of treatment gives patients a sort of fertility insurance that may allow them to father their own children through the use of IVF or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Despite many refinements in cryopreservation and separation methodology, the salvage of post-thaw sperm remains poor even though it seems not to hamper fertilization or pregnancy rate in ART (Hammadeh et al 2001a;Kuczynski et al 2001). The most commonly reported detrimental effect of cryopreservation on human sperm is a marked reduction in motility (Kramer et al 1993), but also DNA integrity has recently started to be extensively checked.…”

Fertilization and pregnancy outcome after intracytoplasmic injection with fresh or cryopreserved ejaculated spermatozoa

“…Although the adverse effect of freezing and thawing upon sperm quality is even more pronounced in cases of poor semen quality, with the advent of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), only a small number of motile spermatozoa are required for a successful fertilization (4)(5)(6). In fact, ICSI can be performed with fresh and cryopreserved spermatozoa from ejaculated semen from patients with oligoasthenoteratozoospermia, or from spermatozoa extracted from the epididymis or testis, in cases of obstructive or nonobstructive azoospermia (7)(8)(9).…”

Options for Fertility Preservation in Men and Boys with Cancer

“…Conception is now possible with only one live sperm, and fertilization and pregnancy rates with ICSI are largely unaffected by semen quality [12]. All samples containing viable sperm, regardless of semen parameters, should therefore be cryopreserved.…”