BACKGROUND Isolation of sperm suitable for ICSI from fresh or frozen-thawed testicular sperm extraction (TESE) can be facilitated by mechanical or enzymatic processing of the samples. METHODS A retrospective multicentre study was initiated to compare these two approaches. Eleven German centres provided data on their TESE cycles performed during the period 1996/1997. Quality of retrieved sperm...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether characteristics of sperm motility obtained by computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) could predict pregnancy after intrauterine insemination (IUI) in couples with unexplained infertility. METHODS Three hundred eighty-three cycles of intrauterine insemination with superovulation were retrospectively analyzed. Semen analysis was performed with CASA before and aft...

Background: Techniques of sperm preparation require centrifugation to separate spermatozoa from the seminal plasma. The centrifugation can induce damage to the spermatozoa and increase reactive oxygen species(ROS) productionspecially in leukospermic speciemens that are associated with impaired function and fertilizing capacity. However in ICSI, fertilization can occure with damage DNA sperm but...

BACKGROUND In natural conception only a few sperm cells reach the ampulla or the site of fertilization. This population is a selected group of cells since only motile cells can pass through cervical mucus and gain initial entry into the female reproductive tract. In animals, some studies indicate that the sperm selected by the reproductive tract and recovered from the uterus and the oviducts ha...

This is the first report implementing combined density gradient centrifugation/Zeta (DGC/Zeta) sperm selection procedure for a couple with eleven previous intra cytoplasmic sperm injection/ in vitro fertilization (ICSI/IVF) failure cycles. Semen analysis was carried out according to World Health Organization criteria. Protamine deficiency, DNA fragmentation and morphology were assessed by chrom...

The accurate measurement of semen fertilizing potential is of great importance in determining the acceptability of processed semen for breeding purposes. A good sperm preparation technique results in a sample with high viability and motility and also takes into account other parameters such as the capacitation and apoptotic state which could compromise the ability to fertilize an oocyte. In thi...

Background: The success of fertilization is directly associated with semen quality and the sperm preparation. Considering the common use of cryopreserved spermatozoa, there is a need to develop strategies for sperm preparation in order to achieve a sperm sample of high quality through a rigorous selection of sperm. Thus, sperm cells are being more extensively investigate. This study aimed evalu...

Sperm DNA integrity is of paramount importance for the accurate conveyance of genetic material. DNA damage may be a major contributory factor in male infertility as DNA from sperm of infertile men has been found to be more susceptible to induced DNA damage in vitro than DNA from fertile men. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are a significant source of DNA damage and human sperm are extremely sensi...

The selection of vital, non-apoptotic spermatozoa is a prerequisite for achieving optimal conception rates in assisted reproductive techniques. Magnetic cell sorting using annexin-V microbeads can effectively separate apoptotic and non-apoptotic spermatozoa. The objective of the present study was to optimize the integration of magnetic cell sorting in standard sperm preparations and to correlat...