Oxidative stress level in fresh ejaculate is not related to semen parameters or to pregnancy rates in cycles with donor oocytes

• DOI: 10.1007/s10815-016-0660-1
• Publication Date: 2016-01-22T09:35:51Z
• Authors: Aïda Pujol; Albert Obradors; Erica Esteo; Beatriz Costilla; Désireé García; Valerie Vernaeve; Rita Vassena
• Keywords: Adult; Male; Oocyte Donation; Pregnancy Outcome; Fertilization in Vitro; Embryo Transfer; Oxidative Stress; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Pregnancy; Semen; Oocytes; Humans; Female; Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic; Infertility, Male

The purpose of the present study is to study the relationship between oxidative stress (OS) in semen, semen characteristics, and reproductive outcomes in oocyte donation intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles.OS was measured in 132 semen samples.OS levels were as follows: very high (1.5 %), high (43.2 %), low (30.3 %), and very low (25.0 %). Overall seminal parameters were as follows: volume (ml) = 4.2 (SD 2.1), concentration (millions/ml) = 61.6 (SD 59.8), motility (a+b%) = 47.4 (SD 18.0), and normal spermatozoa (%) = 8.2 (SD 5.1). Of the 101 cycles that reached embryo transfer, 55.4 % evolved in biochemical, 46.5 % in clinical, and 43.6 % in ongoing pregnancy. OS level does not relate to seminal parameters, fertilization rate, or pregnancy outcomes.OS testing by nitro blue tetrazolium (NBT) in fresh ejaculate might not be useful for all patients. Reproductive results with young oocytes and ICSI do not seem to be affected by OS-level semen.