Clinical value of using an automated sperm morphology analyzer (IVOS)

Objective: To determine the clinical value of automated normal sperm morphology outcomes. Design: Prospective clinical study. Setting: Clinical and research assisted reproduction laboratory. Patient(s): Two hundred seven GIFT cycles. Intervention(s): The wife was induced to superovulate, laparoscopically aspirated, and the gametes were transferred laparoscopically. The husband's sperm morphology was evaluated with use of a sperm morphology analyzer using the strict criteria classification system. Main Outcome Measure(s): Normal sperm morphology, IVF, and pregnancy outcomes. Result(s): The logistic regression model showed that normal sperm morphology was significantly associated with fertilization in vitro, as dependent (age) and independent variables. Analyzing the fertilization rates across the 5% normal sperm morphology cutoff point, a fertilization rate of 39.39% (less than or equal to 5%)) compared with 62.92% (>5%) was obtained. The logistic regression model showed that normal sperm morphology was also a significant predictor of pregnancy when allowing for the number of oocytes transferred and female age. Analyzing the pregnancy rates across the 5% normal sperm morphology cutoff point, pregnancy rates of 15.15% (less than or equal to 5%) and 37.36% (>5%) were obtained. Conclusion(s): Normal sperm morphology as evaluated by the automated semen analyzer (IVOS) was shown to adhere to the same fertility cutoff point (5%), as determined by the manual evaluation of sperm morphology. Automated normal sperm morphology outcomes also were found to be significant predictors of IVF and pregnancy in a GIFT program. (Fertil Steril(R) 1999;71:222-5. (C) 1999 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.).