PREDICTIVE VALUE OF MORPHOLOGICALLY NORMAL SPERM CONCENTRATION IN THE MEDIUM FOR INVITRO FERTILIZATION

Morphological evaluation of spermatozoa using strict criteria (MEUSC) and conventional sperm parameters were studied with respect to in-vitro fertilization and pregnancy outcome before and after a swim-up selection procedure. Recovered oocytes were inseminated with 50 000 progressively motile spermatozoa, and this study assess the influence of the total number of spermatozoa and of the percentage with strictly normal morphology in the insemination sample on the outcome of IVF. The results showed that the percentages of spermatozoa with normal morphology using strict criteria, both in native and in post-swim-up samples, were the best predictors of IVF outcome. Their respective cut-off points were 5% and 8%. The number of morphologically normal spermatozoa inseminated also showed a good correlation with fertilization. However, it was not possible to find a proper cut-off point for this parameter. The patients were categorized on the basis of their native and post-swim-up scores. Category 1, in which both parameters were below their respective cut-off points, showed a 7% fertilization rate and a 0% pregnancy rate. Category 3, in which both parameters were above their cut-off points, showed a 70% fertilization rate and a 23% pregnancy rate. This suggests that sperm morphology can be used as a criterion for patient selection for IVF as an aid to identification of possibly subfertile males.