IVF outcome with cryopreserved testicular sperm

Abstract

The introduction of intracytoplasmic sperm injection and the use of spermatozoa extracted from the testicles have changed the option for conception for azoospermic patients. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the IVF outcome after using cryopreserved testicular sperm samples in comparison with fresh ones. A total of 667 in vitro fertilisation cycles with fresh or cryopreserved testicular sperm obtained by an open biopsy and testicular needle aspiration were evaluated. Sperm motility was present in 70.9% of the cycles in Group-I, 77.8% cycles in Group-II and in 83.3% In Group-III (NS). The fertilisation rates were similar in the three study groups (50%, 48.6% and 54.8% respectively). The pregnancy rates were 26.7%, 22.2% and 16.3% respectively (NS). The delivery rate, however, was significantly lower in Group-III (4.1%) than in Group-I and -II (18.4% and 15.9%, respectively, P < 0.05). The IVF results after use of cryopreserved testicular sperm are comparable with those obtained with the fresh specimens. Lack of sperm motility before cryopreservation does not exclude favourable outcome and therefore testicular sperm freezing is feasible whenever there are enough sperm cells in the extracted testicular tissue.