The morphology of extracted testicular sperm correlates with fertilization but not pregnancy rates

Sperm morphology: Evaluating its clinical relevance in contemporary fertility practice

Background

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends reporting sperm morphology in a standard semen analysis. However, the clinical utility and prognostic value of morphology is often debated.

Methods

We reviewed and summarized studies that assessed both the benefits and limitations of sperm morphology in the context of natural fertility, assisted reproductive technologies, and recurrent pregnancy loss. We additionally describe possible environmental and anatomical etiologies of teratozoospermia.

Results

Sperm morphology evaluation has continuously evolved since the release of the first WHO manual in 1980. Initially, several large studies reported significant inverse associations between fertility outcomes and teratozoospermia. Most recent studies, however, fail to show an association between sperm morphology and natural or assisted fertility outcomes.

Conclusion

Sperm morphology analysis may have limited diagnostic and prognostic value. Providers should be aware of these limitations when counseling or managing infertile patients.

Sperm retrieval during critical illness

Objective of this study is to review technical methods to retrieve sperm from critically ill/injured patients after an appropriate family request, possible harmful effects on sperm production/function by ICU medications or concurrent illnesses, and ethical considerations for hospitals and care providers in providing this resource. Design used for this study includes: literature review, PubMed 1998-2009, and authors' files. There are no interventions. In conclusion, although successful and unsuccessful pregnancies following sperm removal from critically-ill patients are reported, no firm probability predictions for either result are known. Acute and chronic diseases that effect the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and multiple medications common to the ICU may reduce sperm production or function. Retrieval methods before and after cardio-respiratory death differ and often require intracytoplasmic sperm injection or other in vitro fertilization techniques to achieve a subsequent pregnancy. The proactive development of a collaborative policy/procedure to identify appropriate roles for the hospital, its employees, and affiliated critical care and urology physicians is strongly recommended.