Relationship between time period after vasectomy and the reproductive capacity of sperm obtained by epididymal aspiration.
BACKGROUND
It is not well defined whether the elapsed time after vasectomy has any influence on the outcome of IVF-ICSI using epididymal sperm. We analysed retrospectively the results of 151 ICSI cycles in which sperm of vasectomized men were used at different time periods after vasectomy.


METHODS
Oocytes were obtained after a desensitizing ovarian stimulation protocol using GnRH agonist in association with recombinant FSH and HCG. Sperm were retrieved by percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration. The cycles were split into three groups: < or =10 years after vasectomy (group 1, n = 47), 11-19 years after vasectomy (group 2, n = 79), and > or =20 years after vasectomy (group 3, n = 25).


RESULTS
As might be expected, the mean age of men differed in the three groups (group 3 > group 2 > group 1), and the mean age of the women was also significantly higher in group 3 than in groups 1 and 2, although no differences were described between groups 2 and 3. All other laboratory and clinical parameters were similar in the three groups. Ongoing pregnancy and implantation rates (34, 25, 8% and 22, 15, 6% respectively) decreased significantly from group 1 to group 3.


CONCLUSIONS
Pregnancy and implantation rates after ICSI with sperm from vasectomized men are negatively correlated with the time interval from vasectomy, which cannot be explained purely by male or female ageing.
Abdelmassih
Vicente
V
Clínica e Centro de Pesquisa em Reproduçião Humana Roger Abdelmassih, Rua Maestro Elias Lobo 805, Jardim Paulista, Cep: 01433-000, São Paulo SP, Brazil.
Balmaceda
Jose P
JP
Tesarik
Jan
J
Abdelmassih
Roger
R
Nagy
Zsolt P
ZP
D000328:Adult; D010064:Embryo Implantation; D004822:Epididymis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting; D014659:Vasectomy