Severe Teratozoospermia Associated With Severe Oligospermia Affects Clinical Outcome In Human Icsi Cycles

This study retrospectively investigated the effects of obvious head shape defect in sperm on embryo development and pregnancy outcome. Couples with severe oligospermia (total sperm count was less than several hundred, thus not enough for morphological assessment) were divided into two groups based on morphological observation of sperm head. Group 1 (N=45): sperm with obvious head shape defects (large or small, tapered, pyriform and amorphous head defects). Group 2 (N=166): sperm with "good looking head shape". The parameters of embryo development and pregnancy outcome were compared between the two groups. There were lower fertilization rates, availablity rate, high quality embryo rate and cumulative live birth rate and higher miscarriage rate in Group 1 when compared with Group 2. No birth defects in the two groups were reported in the clinic. Embryo development and pregnancy outcome with fresh versus frozen-thawed sperm were similar in two groups. However, poor embryo development and pregnancy outcome were found in the obvious head shape defect sperm group regardless of using fresh or frozen-thawed sperm. While embryo development was apparently divergent in OAT/OA/NOA groups, the clinical outcomes were similar. Sperm with obvious head shape defects did affect embryo development and clinical outcome in OAT groups, but not in the OA/NOA group. All above results may supply a reference for clinical outcome when using these severe teratozoospermia associated with extreme oligospermia samples.