Abstract
Objective: This work was undertaken to evaluate the correlation between sperm cell morphology and fertilization after zona pellucida slitting in subfertile males. Design: Twenty-two couples who failed at least one in vitro fertilization attempt because of lack of oocytes fertilization underwent a zona-slitting micromanipulative procedure. A total of 245 oocytes were retrieved and inseminated by three different modes: 151 oocytes underwent micromanipulation, 2 were damaged, and the remaining 149 inseminated by the husband's sperm (group A). Fifty-five oocytes were not manipulated and inseminated by the husband's sperm (group B), and 39 oocytes were not manipulated and inseminated by a donor sperm (group C). Results: Fertilization rates were 26.8%, 5.5%, and 53.8% in groups A, B, and C, respectively, and differed significantly between group A and group B. The cleavage rates were lower for oocytes fertilized by the husband's sperm (48.6%) than that obtained by donor (90%), suggesting a sperm factor contributing to this phenomenon. The procedure was most efficient in patients with a total motile sperm count after preparation of ≥5 million and with either normal sperm morphology or defects localized to the acrosome or tail region only. Sperm with nuclear morphological abnormalities demonstrated a marked reduction in fertilization potential. Conclusions: It is concluded that the zona-slitting technique enhances fertilization of severely subfertile sperm, and its efficacy is affected by sperm morphology and a threshold concentration of motile cells.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 325-331 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Fertility and Sterility |
| Volume | 56 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 1991 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Received December 4, 1990; revised and accepted April25, 1991. * Supported in part by a grant from the joint research fund of the Hebrew University and Hadassah Hospital and in part by a grant from the chief scientist of the Israeli Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel. t Presented at the First International Congress on Micromanipulation in Human Reproduction, Rome, Italy, December 14 to 15,1990. :j: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the IVF unit, Hadassah University Hospital. §Department of Life Sciences, Bar-Han University. II Reprint requests: Neri Laufer, M.D., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hadassah University Hospital, P.O.B. 12000, Jerusalem, Israel 91120.
Funding
Received December 4, 1990; revised and accepted April25, 1991. * Supported in part by a grant from the joint research fund of the Hebrew University and Hadassah Hospital and in part by a grant from the chief scientist of the Israeli Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel. t Presented at the First International Congress on Micromanipulation in Human Reproduction, Rome, Italy, December 14 to 15,1990. :j: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the IVF unit, Hadassah University Hospital. §Department of Life Sciences, Bar-Han University. II Reprint requests: Neri Laufer, M.D., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hadassah University Hospital, P.O.B. 12000, Jerusalem, Israel 91120.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Hadassah Hospital | |
| Israeli Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel | |
| Hebrew University of Jerusalem |