Treatment of severe male immunological infertility by intracytoplasmic sperm injection.
A total of 29 infertile couples (group A) with male antisperm antibodies detected by the mixed antiglobulin reaction (MAR) and partly by flow cytometry (n = 21) were treated using an intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) technique to assist fertilization. In all, 22 of them had shown a poor fertilization rate (6%) in previous in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments. The fertilization and cleavage rates in ICSI, 79 and 89% respectively, were similar to those in a MAR-negative group (group B; n = 20) injected because of male infertility (68 and 93% respectively). A third group (group C; n = 37) with male immune infertility was treated by conventional IVF. All these couples had at least one oocyte fertilized, but the overall fertilization rate (44%) in group C was significantly poorer (P < 0.001) than that in the two ICSI groups. However, the embryo quality was lower in group A compared with that in the other groups. A total of 13 pregnancies resulted in group A (46%), of which five ended in miscarriage. None of the six pregnancies (30%) in group B aborted during the first trimester. These results reveal, for the first time, that ICSI offers a good chance of fertilization for couples with male immunological infertility. However, post-fertilization events may compromise these results because of factors not yet clearly understood.
Lähteenmäki
A
A
Infertility Clinic, Family Federation of Finland, Helsinki, Finland.
Reima
I
I
Hovatta
O
O
D000328:Adult; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000378:metabolism; D003298:Coombs Test; D003593:Cytoplasm; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008845:Microinjections; D009865:Oocytes; D011247:Pregnancy; D012661:Semen / Q000276:immunology; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000276:immunology
D001323:Autoantibodies