Abstract
Objective: To examine the factors associated with increased deoxyribonucleic acid fragmentation index (DFI), evaluate the pregnancy outcomes of men with increased DFI, and compare three independent DFI assays. Design: Secondary analysis. Setting: Nine US-based fertility centers. Patient(s): Infertile men (N = 147) with sperm concentration ≤15 × 106/mL, motility ≤40%, or normal morphology ≤4% were enrolled. The female partners were ovulatory, ≤40 years old, and had documented tubal patency. Intervention(s): At a baseline visit, the men provided a semen sample. The couples attempted conception without assistance for 3 months and with ovarian stimulation and intrauterine insemination in the subsequent 3 months. Main Outcome Measure(s): The DFI was analyzed using the sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) with increased DFI defined as >30%. The predictors of increased DFI were determined by a multivariable linear regression model. The pregnancy outcomes were compared using the χ2 test. The independent DFI assays (SCSA, deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling, and Comet) were compared with Pearson and Spearman correlations. Result(s): The 19% of men with increased DFI were older (36.0 vs. 33.0 years) and had lower total sperm motility (38.2% ± 20.5% vs. 45.2% ± 15.6%). Increased male age was found to be a significant predictor of DFI (0.75, 95% confidence interval [0.06, 1.45]). Increased DFI was not associated with conception or live birth. There was a modest correlation of the deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling assay with the SCSA (r = 0.34) and Comet assay (r = 0.19). Conclusion(s): Older age was associated with increased DFI among infertile men. The DFI assays were only weakly correlated, indicating a standard definition of DFI is needed to truly interrogate how sperm deoxyribonucleic acid fragmentation impacts male fertility.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 282-288 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | F and S Reports |
Volume | 2 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2021 |
Keywords
- DNA fragmentation indexes
- DNA sperm fragmentation
- male factor infertility
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Embryology
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Reproductive Medicine