Effect of paternal age on intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes in cryptozoospermic men: Ejaculated or testicular sperm?

Surgically retrieved spermatozoa for ICSI cycles in non-azoospermic males with high sperm DNA fragmentation in semen

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) using surgically retrieved spermatozoa outside the classic context of azoospermia has been increasingly used to overcome infertility. The primary indications include high levels of sperm DNA damage in ejaculated spermatozoa and severe oligozoospermia or cryptozoospermia, particularly in couples with ICSI failure for no apparent reason. Current evidence suggests that surgically retrieved spermatozoa for ICSI in the above context improves  outcomes, mainly concerning pregnancy and miscarriage rates. The reasons are not fully understood but may be related to the lower levels of DNA damage in spermatozoa retrieved from the testis compared with ejaculated counterparts. These findings are consistent with the notion that excessive sperm DNA damage  can be a limiting factor responsible for the failure to conceive. Using testicular in preference of low-quality ejaculated spermatozoa bypasses post-testicular sperm DNA damage caused primarily by oxidative stress, thus increasing the likelihood of oocyte fertilization by genomically intact spermatozoa. Despite the overall favorable results, data remain limited, and mainly concern males with confirmed sperm DNA damage in the ejaculate. Additionally, information regarding the health of ICSI offspring resulting from the use of surgically retrieved spermatoa of non-azoospermic males is still lacking. Efforts should be made to improve the male partner's reproductive health for safer ICSI utilization. A comprehensive andrological evaluation aiming to identify and treat the underlying male infertility factor contributing to sperm DNA damage is essential for achieving this goal.

Association of ABO blood groups with ovarian reserve: a retrospective cohort study in Chinese Han women younger than 40 years with infertility

BACKGROUND

Ovarian reserve reflects both the quantity and quality of oocytes available for procreation and is affected by many known and unknown factors. ABO blood type is related to several infertility processes, but it is unclear whether and how ABO blood type affects ovarian reserve.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of the study was to explore the correlation between ABO blood types and ovarian reserve in infertile Chinese Han women under 40 years of age undergoing the in vitro fertilization (IVF)/ intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)-embryo transfer (IVF/ICSI-ET) treatment.

METHODS

Women aged < 40 years who underwent IVF/ICSI-ET at our institution and had a documented ABO blood type were eligible for this study. In this study, patients were divided into two groups according to the diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) group (AMH < 1.1 ng/mL, AFC < 6) and the non-diminished ovarian reserve (non-DOR) group (AMH ≥ 1.1 ng/mL, AFC ≥ 6). The relationship between ovarian reserve and ABO blood group was determined by correlation analysis.

RESULTS

In this retrospective cohort study, clinical data were collected from 1690 Chinese Han women treated with IVF/ ICSI-ET in hospital records between April 2019 and March 2020 in the affiliated hospital of Southwest Medical University, located in Luzhou, China. The differences in age, duration of infertility, BMI, FSH, FSH / LH, and p (DOR vs non-DOR) for each parameter (DOR vs non-DOR) were statistically significant, and the differences in LH and E2 were not statistically significant. ABO blood groups were most prevalent in the DOR group with O (143, 34.8%) and A (122, 29.7%) and in the non-DOR group with A (428, 33.5%) and O (419, 32.8%). ABO blood groups were most prevalent in the DOR group with O (n = 57, 30.5%) and A (n = 54, 28.9%) and in the non-DOR group with A (n = 335, 34.0%) and O (n = 323, 32.8%) were the most frequent in the non-DOR group.

CONCLUSIONS

In this retrospective cohort study, we confirmed the lack of a significant association between ABO blood type and ovarian reserve. Further studies are needed to clarify whether there is any prognostic correlation between ABO blood group and ovarian reserve in women undergoing IVF/ICSI-ET.

Different group of non-obstructive intermittent azoospermias among non-obstructive azoospermia patients: A ten-year retrospective cohort study with control group

We have identified patients among non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) cases in whom spermatozoa could not be detected despite treatment, but intermittent ejaculatory spermatozoon was found in their follow-up. NOA was observed in the retrospective screening at a rate of 15.35% among infertile men (n = 1976/12,871), while non-obstructive intermittent azoospermia (NO-IA) was detected at a rate of 6.8% among NO-IA (n = 135/1976) and 1.1% among all infertile men (n = 135/12,871). Spermatozoon was identified in the form of cryptospermia or extreme oligospermia in 58.13 (13.6-92.3) weeks on average in n = 55/135 patients among NO-IA. Pregnancy and live birth were achieved at a rate of 43.6% (n = 24/55) and 29% (n = 16/55), respectively, in intracytoplasmic sperm injection. NO-IA was composed of a group with no genetic pathological diagnosis, with lower follicle-stimulating hormone, lutenizing hormone and clinical varicocele rates compared with those of NOA (<0.05) and higher testicular volumes and pathological scores (<0.05). A major activity was observed in total testosterone, lutenizing hormone, testicular volumes and the logistic regression of pathological scores (<0.05).

Advanced paternal age and risk of cancer in offspring

Many risk factors of cancer have been established, but the contribution of paternal age in this regard remains largely unexplored. To further understand the etiology of cancer, we investigated the relationship between paternal age and cancer incidence using PLCO cohort. Cox proportional hazards models were performed to assess the association between paternal age and the risk of cancers. During follow-up time (median 11.5 years), 18,753 primary cancers occurred. Paternal age was associated with reduced risk of cancers of the female genitalia (HR, 0.79; 95%CI, 0.66-0.94; P = 0.008) as well as cancers of the respiratory and intrathoracic organs (HR, 0.78; 95%CI, 0.63-0.97; P = 0.026). The association was stronger for lung cancer (HR, 0.67; 95%CI, 0.52-0.86; P = 0.002). The subgroup analysis suggested that age, gender, smoking and BMI were related to the decreased cancer incidence of the respiratory and intrathoracic organs, lung and the female genitalia. Positive linear associations were observed between paternal age and cancer incidence of the female genitalia, respiratory and intrathoracic organs and the lungs. These findings indicate that advanced paternal age is an independent protective factor against various cancers in offspring.

Extended indications for sperm retrieval: summary of current literature

Sperm retrieval combined with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) is the treatment of choice for couples with untreatable azoospermia-related infertility. However, an increasing body of evidence has been mounting, suggesting that ICSI with testicular sperm instead of ejaculated sperm (when both are available) increases pregnancy outcomes in some specific scenarios. This has led to the exploration of extended indications for sperm retrieval. This review summarizes the current literature concerning sperm retrieval and ICSI for non-azoospermic men with elevated sperm DNA fragmentation, oligozoospermia, and cryptozoospermia.