Outcomes of pregnancies using donor sperm compared with those using partner sperm: systematic review and meta-analysis

Therapeutic donor insemination for LGBTQ+ families: a systematic review

IMPORTANCE

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer+ (LGBTQ+) families deserve evidence-based care within environments designed for their unique needs; however, care provided in fertility clinics has been reported to fall short, most notably for assigned female at birth recipients of therapeutic donor insemination (TDI).

OBJECTIVE

To identify the aspects of routine infertility care that are clinically appropriate for this unique patient population, specifically those seeking pregnancy with donor sperm. The research question was posed, "What screening and treatment protocols are supported by the evidence regarding TDI care for LGBTQ+ families?"

EVIDENCE REVIEW

High quality, prospective studies specific to and/or inclusive of this patient population in assisted reproductive care contexts is limited, however evidence regarding age-informed prognosis, screening guidelines, treatment outcomes, insemination timing, number of inseminations per cycle, when to refer, and safety of the procedure were found.

FINDINGS

Findings indicate that compared with routine infertility care protocols, a low-tech, low-intervention model of care for ovulatory LGBTQ+ individuals renders equal or higher success rates without increasing risk.

CONCLUSION

Given the current evidence, TDI for LGBTQ+ families can, with support and training, be provided appropriately in a variety of contexts, including community-based and primary care settings as well as in fertility clinics.

RELEVANCE

This review establishes the current state of the evidence supporting TDI for LGBTQ+ families, expanding access to care for recipients as well as their care providers and outlining areas for further study.

Risk factors for preterm birth: an umbrella review of meta-analyses of observational studies

BACKGROUND

Preterm birth defined as delivery before 37 gestational weeks is a leading cause of neonatal and infant morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study is to summarize the evidence from meta-analyses of observational studies on risk factors associated with PTB, evaluate whether there are indications of biases in this literature, and identify which of the previously reported associations are supported by robust evidence.

METHODS

We searched PubMed and Scopus until February 2021, in order to identify meta-analyses examining associations between risk factors and PTB. For each meta-analysis, we estimated the summary effect size, the 95% confidence interval, the 95% prediction interval, the between-study heterogeneity, evidence of small-study effects, and evidence of excess-significance bias. Evidence was graded as robust, highly suggestive, suggestive, and weak.

RESULTS

Eighty-five eligible meta-analyses were identified, which included 1480 primary studies providing data on 166 associations, covering a wide range of comorbid diseases, obstetric and medical history, drugs, exposure to environmental agents, infections, and vaccines. Ninety-nine (59.3%) associations were significant at P < 0.05, while 41 (24.7%) were significant at P < 10-6. Ninety-one (54.8%) associations had large or very large heterogeneity. Evidence for small-study effects and excess significance bias was found in 37 (22.3%) and 12 (7.2%) associations, respectively. We evaluated all associations according to prespecified criteria. Seven risk factors provided robust evidence: amphetamine exposure, isolated single umbilical artery, maternal personality disorder, sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), prior induced termination of pregnancy with vacuum aspiration (I-TOP with VA), low gestational weight gain (GWG), and interpregnancy interval (IPI) following miscarriage < 6 months.

CONCLUSIONS

The results from the synthesis of observational studies suggest that seven risk factors for PTB are supported by robust evidence. Routine screening for sleep quality and mental health is currently lacking from prenatal visits and should be introduced. This assessment can promote the development and training of prediction models using robust risk factors that could improve risk stratification and guide cost-effective preventive strategies.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

PROSPERO 2021 CRD42021227296.

Long-term outcomes for children conceived by assisted reproductive technology

Worldwide, more than 10 million children have been born after assisted reproduction technology (ART), comprising up to 7.9% of children born in Europe and up to 5.1 % of children born in the US in 2018. The short-term outcome for children born after ART is well-known from numerous publications, with higher rates of preterm birth and low birth weight in children born after fresh embryo transfer and higher rates of large for gestational age and high birth weight in children born after frozen embryo transfer compared with children born after spontaneous conception. Higher rates of birth defects in children born after ART have also been shown consistently over time. Studies on long-term health outcomes after ART are scarcer but suggest an increased risk of altered blood pressure and cardiovascular function in children born after ART. In this review, we summarize long-term health outcomes in children born after ART and discuss whether the increased health risks are associated with intrinsic maternal or paternal factors related to subfertility or ART treatments per se. Finally, we speculate where the future will bring us regarding ART treatment strategies and the safety of the mother and child.

Risk factors for preterm labor: An Umbrella Review of meta-analyses of observational studies

Preterm birth defined as delivery before 37 gestational weeks, is a leading cause of neonatal and infant morbidity and mortality. Understanding its multifactorial nature may improve prediction, prevention and the clinical management. We performed an umbrella review to summarize the evidence from meta-analyses of observational studies on risks factors associated with PTB, evaluate whether there are indications of biases in this literature and identify which of the previously reported associations are supported by robust evidence. We included 1511 primary studies providing data on 170 associations, covering a wide range of comorbid diseases, obstetric and medical history, drugs, exposure to environmental agents, infections and vaccines. Only seven risk factors provided robust evidence. The results from synthesis of observational studies suggests that sleep quality and mental health, risk factors with robust evidence should be routinely screened in clinical practice, should be tested in large randomized trial. Identification of risk factors with robust evidence will promote the development and training of prediction models that could improve public health, in a way that offers new perspectives in health professionals.

Fertility in the aging male: a systematic review

The negative effect of advanced female age on fertility and offspring health is well understood. In comparison, much less is known about the implications of male age on fertility, with many studies showing conflicting results. Nevertheless, increasing evidence suggests that advanced paternal age has negative effects on sperm parameters, reproductive success, and offspring health. Herein, we summarize the current body of knowledge on this controversial topic, with the belief that this review will serve as a resource for the clinicians providing fertility counseling to couples with older male partners.

Perinatal outcomes of 221,709 singleton and twin pregnancies after the use of donor versus partner sperm

OBJECTIVE

To study the association of donor sperm on perinatal outcomes of livebirths conceived via in vitro fertilization (IVF) when compared with partner sperm.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study SETTING: National Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority assisted reproductive technology registry PATIENTS: All live born singletons and twins conceived through IVF with or without intracytoplasmic sperm injection in the United Kingdom between 1991 and 2016 INTERVENTION(S): Donor sperm compared to partner sperm MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Perinatal outcomes were assessed. The primary outcomes were preterm and very preterm birth; low, very low, high, and very high birthweight; Secondary outcomes were congenital anomaly and health baby. These were assessed for singletons and twins separately.

RESULTS

For singleton livebirths, compared to partner sperm, those conceived with donor sperm were at reduced odds of very preterm (odds ratio [OR], 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.63-0.91; adjusted OR [aOR], 0.80; 95% CI, 0.66-0.96), and preterm (OR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.83-0.98; aOR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.85-1.01) birth. For birthweight outcomes, donor sperm showed a reduced odds of low (OR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.76-0.91; aOR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.78-0.94) and an increased odds of high (OR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.07-1.23; aOR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.01-1.17) birthweight. There was no confirmed difference in the odds ratios of very low (OR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.74-1.06; aOR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.78-1.13) or very high (OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.04-1.40; aOR, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.98-1.34) birthweight. Liveborn twins conceived with donor sperm, compared to partner sperm, were at reduced odds of very low (OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.66-0.88; aOR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.72-0.96) and low (OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.81-0.93; aOR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.85-0.98) birthweight. There was a suggestion of a reduced odds of very preterm (OR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.70-0.95; aOR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.74-1.01) and preterm (OR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.86-1.01; aOR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.88-1.04) birth. There was considerable uncertainty around the ORs for high (OR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.31-1.72; aOR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.29-1.80) and very high (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.39-2.67; aOR, 1.34; 95% CI, 0.50-3.60) birthweight.

CONCLUSION

Although unmeasured confounding remains a possibility, as paternal age, body mass index, and smoking status were unavailable for analysis, women, couples, service providers can be reassured that IVF livebirths conceived with donor sperm have no greater chance of adverse outcomes when compared to partner sperm.

Donor sperm recipients: fertility treatments, trends, and pregnancy outcomes

Purpose

To report fertility treatment use and outcomes among patients who use donor sperm for intrauterine insemination (IUI), in vitro fertilization (IVF), and reciprocal IVF (co-IVF).

Methods

This is a retrospective review of patients who used donor sperm at an urban, southeastern academic reproductive center between 2014 and 2020.

Results

Among the 374 patients presenting for care, 88 (23.5%) were single, 188 (50.3%) were in a same-sex female partnership, and 98 (26.2%) had a male partner with a diagnosis of male factor infertility. Most patients did not have infertility (73.2%). A total of 1106 cycles were completed, of which there were 931 IUI cycles, 146 traditional IVF cycles, and 31 co-IVF cycles. Live birth rates per cycle were 11% in IUI, 42% in IVF, and 61% in co-IVF. Of all resulting pregnancies, hypertensive disorders were most commonly experienced (18.0%), followed by preterm delivery (15.3%), neonatal complications (9.5%), gestational diabetes (4.8%), and fetal growth restriction (4.8%). Of the 198 infants born, fifteen (8.3%) required admission to the neonatal intensive care unit and three (1.7%) demised. Pregnancy and neonatal complications were more likely to occur in older patients and patients with elevated body mass index.

Conclusion

The use of donor sperm for fertility treatment is increasing. These data show reassuring live birth rates; however, they also highlight the risks of subsequent pregnancy complications. With the expansion of fertility treatment options for patients, these data assist provider counseling of patients regarding anticipated cycle success rates and possible pregnancy complications.

Paternal low protein diet perturbs inter-generational metabolic homeostasis in a tissue-specific manner in mice

The underlying mechanisms driving paternally-programmed metabolic disease in offspring remain poorly defined. We fed male C57BL/6 mice either a control normal protein diet (NPD; 18% protein) or an isocaloric low protein diet (LPD; 9% protein) for a minimum of 8 weeks. Using artificial insemination, in combination with vasectomised male mating, we generated offspring using either NPD or LPD sperm but in the presence of NPD or LPD seminal plasma. Offspring from either LPD sperm or seminal fluid display elevated body weight and tissue dyslipidaemia from just 3 weeks of age. These changes become more pronounced in adulthood, occurring in conjunction with altered hepatic metabolic and inflammatory pathway gene expression. Second generation offspring also display differential tissue lipid abundance, with profiles similar to those of first generation adults. These findings demonstrate that offspring metabolic homeostasis is perturbed in response to a suboptimal paternal diet with the effects still evident within a second generation.

Poor paternal diet leads to changes in offspring tissue lipid abundance that is still evident in a second generation.

Effects of donor sperm on perinatal and neonatal outcomes resulting from in vitro fertilization-intracytoplasmic sperm injection and embryo transfer cycles: a retrospective cohort study

Background

The impact of donor sperm on pregnancy outcomes is controversial. The aim of this study was to investigate whether donor sperm in in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatment could reduce the rate of live births or increase the incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes and birth defects in neonates.

Methods

This single-centre, retrospective cohort study included 1,559 patients with infertility who received donor sperm at our hospital from 2015 to 2019. All the patients received fresh embryos and underwent first-cycle transfer. After propensity score matching, 4,677 controls who received their partners’ sperm were matched at 1:3. Clinical pregnancy, perinatal, and neonatal outcomes were compared between the donor sperm and partner sperm groups.

Results

The embryo development was better in the donor sperm group than in the partner sperm group. The high-quality embryo and available embryo rates were significantly higher in the donor sperm group (P<0.05 for both groups). The rate of high-quality embryos transferred from the donor sperm group was higher than that from the partner sperm group (P<0.05). The clinical pregnancy (62.99% vs. 59.65%; P=0.02) and live birth (54.65% vs. 51.59%; P=0.036) rates were higher in the donor sperm group. After adjusting for confounding factors, no significant difference in live birth rates was observed between the two groups (adjusted P=0.057). The low birthweight (18.21% vs. 21.39%; P=0.023) and small for gestational age (SGA) (7.60% vs. 11.97%; P<0.001) rates were lower in the donor sperm group. To exclude the effect of multiple pregnancies, we evaluated neonatal outcomes of singleton pregnancies. No significant differences were noted in preterm and very preterm birth, SGA, mean birthweight, high birthweight, and low birth weight (LBW) and very low birth weight (VLBW) rates (P>0.05 for both groups). Further, no significant between group differences were observed in the ectopic pregnancy rate, early and late spontaneous abortion rates, gestational age, rate of large for gestational age (LGA), and neonatal defects.

Conclusions

Compared with partner sperm, donor sperm did not reduce live birth rate and did not increase neonatal LBW or low birth defects.

Obstetric and perinatal risks after the use of donor sperm: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Donor sperm is widely used in infertility treatments. The purpose of the study was to investigate, whether use of donor sperm in intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatments affect maternal and perinatal risks compared with spontaneously conceived pregnancies or use of partner sperm in IUI, IVF or ICSI. We provide a systematic review and meta-analyses on the most clinically relevant obstetric and perinatal outcomes after use of donor sperm compared with partner sperm: hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, preeclampsia, low birth weight, and preterm birth. Our meta-analyses showed an increased risk for preeclampsia (pooled adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.77, 95% CI 1.26-2.48) and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (pooled aOR 1.55, 95%, CI 1.20-2.00) in pregnancies resulting from IUI with donor sperm compared with IUI with partner sperm. No increased risk was seen for low birth weight or preterm birth after the use of donor sperm in IUI compared with the use of partner sperm in IUI. Subgroup analysis for singletons only did not change these results. The meta-analysis on low birth weight showed a lower risk after in IVF with donor sperm compared with IVF with partner sperm (pooled aOR 0.89, 95% CI 0.83-0.94). For hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, preeclampsia and preterm birth, no difference was found between IVF with donor sperm vs. partner sperm. Patients need to be informed about the moderately increased risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and preeclampsia in pregnancies after IUI with donor sperm.

Effects of different sperm sources on clinical outcomes in intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles

The aim was to investigate the influences of different sperm sources on clinical outcome and neonatal outcome of patients with intracytoplasmic sperm injection. We retrospectively analysed patients who underwent intracytoplasmic sperm injection in our reproductive centre from 2011 to 2020. We screened data on assisted reproductive outcomes from four groups of sources: testicular sperm, epididymal sperm, ejaculated sperm and donor sperm for analysis and divided the non-ejaculated group from the ejaculated group to explore their impact on clinical outcomes and neonatal outcomes. A total of 2139 cycles were involved in this study. There were significant differences in fertilisation rate (77.0% vs. 73.6%, p < .001), cleavage rate (97.4% vs. 94.4%, p < .001) and high-quality embryo rate (52.8% vs. 49.9%, p < .001) between the ejaculated and non-ejaculated sperm groups. There were no significant differences amongst the four groups in biochemical pregnancy rate, clinical pregnancy rate, abortion rate, live birth rate, male-female ratio and single-twin ratio. Different sperm sources did not affect the length, weight or physical defects of newborns amongst the groups. Sperm source did not affect pregnancy and neonatal outcomes of intracytoplasmic sperm injection in general.

The pregnancy outcomes of infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome undergoing intrauterine insemination with different attempts of previous ovulation induction

BACKGROUND

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common reasons for infertility. The consensus of the treatment of infertile women with PCOS is ovulation induction (OI) for six to nine attempts before in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Nowadays, more attention was paid to a rising, noninvasive treatment, intrauterine insemination (IUI), as some experts claimed IUI could benefit PCOS patients with infertility. Our study means to investigate the outcomes of IUI for PCOS patients and if patients' previous OI cycles can be a predictive factor for IUI outcomes.

METHODS

A total of 1,086 PCOS patients was included and 1,868 IUI cycles were performed between January 2007 and July 2021 in the department of assisted reproduction in Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital. All included patients underwent IUI treatments with letrozole+human menopausal gonadotropin (LE+hMG) for ovarian stimulation.

RESULTS

The pregnancy outcomes were not associated with the attempts of failed OI cycles previously. Specifically, the clinical pregnancy rate was 21.14% for PCOS patients without previous OI cycles, 21.95% for PCOS patients with 1-2 previous OI cycles and 23.64% for PCOS patients with 3 or more previous OI cycles (p=0.507). The corresponding live birth rate was 16.64%, 18.06%, and 18.68%, respectively, of which the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.627). The cumulative rate per patient was 38.59% for clinical pregnancy and 31.03% for live birth, and approximately 98% of the pregnancies occurred in the first 3 cycles of IUI.

CONCLUSION

PCOS women with different attempts of OI cycles had similar pregnancy outcomes after IUI, thus a history of repeated failures of OI treatments was not a predictive factor for the pregnancy outcomes in IUI cycles. Most pregnancies occurred in the first three cycles of IUI, so we strongly recommended three attempts of IUI for PCOS women before they switched to IVF/ICSI. Generally, IUI might be an assist for infertile women with PCOS before IVF/ICSI and might accelerate pregnancy for target women without invasive manipulations.

Maintaining an adequate sperm donor pool: modifying the medical criteria for sperm donor selection

The shortage of donor sperm will increase due to greater access by lesbian couples and single women and due to extra rules imposed on sperm donation. Two steps should be distinguished in donor recruitment: an ethical phase where candidates are self-selecting on the basis of ethical rules, and a medical phase where criteria related to quality and safety of the sperm are imposed. The first phase functions as a bottle neck. Candidate donors who reject the ethical rules will not present themselves for donation in clinics and sperm banks. If the ethical rules remain unchanged, the medical rules that apply after the bottle neck should become less stringent if a sufficient number of donors are to be maintained. Lowering the sperm quality standards will lead to more IVF. Although this is regrettable, it will become unavoidable if the scarcity of donors increases.

Endometrium preparation and perinatal outcomes in women undergoing single-blastocyst transfer in frozen cycles

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the association of endometrium preparation with perinatal outcomes.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING

University-affiliated fertility center.

PATIENT(S)

Twenty-one thousand six hundred and forty-eight women who underwent frozen single-blastocyst transfer from January 2013 to March 2019.

INTERVENTION(S)

None.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)

Cesarean delivery, preterm delivery (PTD), vaginal PTD, very preterm delivery (VPTD), postterm delivery, low birth weight (LBW), macrosomia, small for gestational age (SGA), large for gestational age (LGA), hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), premature rupture of membrane (PROM), placenta previa, and congenital abnormality.

RESULT(S)

Compared with natural cycles, hormone replacement cycles were associated with an increased risk of PTD, VPTD, cesarean delivery, macrosomia, PROM, and HDP. There was a trend toward an increased risk of vaginal PTD and LGA in hormone replacement cycles. Stimulated cycles were associated with an increased risk of postterm delivery and GDM. There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of SGA, placenta previa, or congenital abnormality among the three endometrium preparation methods.

CONCLUSION(S)

Hormone replacement cycles are associated with an increased risk of PTD, VPTD, cesarean delivery, LBW, macrosomia, PROM, and HDP. Stimulated cycles are associated with an increased risk of postterm delivery and GDM.