The high incidence of meiotic errors increases with decreased sperm count in severe male factor infertilities.
BACKGROUND
The high frequency of aneuploidy sperm raises concerns that there may be an increased incidence of aneuploid offspring in ICSI programmes. In order to assess the role that chromosome complement plays in normal and abnormal fertility, detailed molecular cytogenetic studies must be done on sperm samples from men with normal and abnormal fertility.


METHODS
To understand more clearly the cytogenetic make-up of sperm from oligoasthenoteratozoospermic (OAT) patients, multi-colour fluorescence in situ hybridization was used to determine numerical chromosome abnormalities.


RESULTS
Increased aneuploidy frequencies for chromosomes 13, 18, 21, X and Y were detected in sperm from OAT patients. The frequencies of diploidy also increased. There were no differences in non-disjunction at meiosis I compared to meiosis II. Sperm count inversely correlated with the frequencies of diploidy, aneuploidies for chromosomes 13 and 21 in OAT patients. Twenty-two cycles of ICSI and 18 embryo transfers were performed in 20 couples. Only three cases achieved successful pregnancies.


CONCLUSIONS
A higher incidence of meiotic errors and lower sperm counts was found in sperm from OAT patients.
Pang
Myung-Geol
MG
Department of Animal Science and Technology, Chung-Ang University, Gyungki-Do 456-756, Korea. mgpang@cau.ac.kr
Kim
Young Ju
YJ
Lee
Sang-Hoon
SH
Kim
Chang-Keun
CK
D000328:Adult; D000782:Aneuploidy; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008540:Meiosis; D009845:Oligospermia / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D013076:Sperm Count; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic; D016896:Treatment Outcome