In vitro fertilization-intracytoplasmic sperm injection success rates with cryopreserved sperm from patients with malignant disease.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the success rate of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) using thawed cryopreserved sperm in male cancer patients.


METHODS
Retrospective consecutive study.


METHODS
IVF unit in a tertiary university hospital.


METHODS
Twenty-one couples treated by ICSI using the frozen-thawed sperm of husbands treated for cancer.


METHODS
Follow-up of all treatments by ICSI.


METHODS
Pregnancy rate, sperm count, and fertilization rate.


RESULTS
Male patients being treated for cancer froze between one and 29 sperm samples. Post-thaw sperm count ranged from 1 x 10(5) to 106 x 10(6). The mean fertilization rate by ICSI was 60% (range, 33%-100%), and the pregnancy rate was 42%. Twenty-six pregnancies were obtained resulting in 23 children (13 singleton and 10 twins) and eight spontaneous abortions (31%). Delivery was obtained in 12 of the 21 treated couples (57%). The lowest total motile sperm count that resulted in a pregnancy was 1 x 10(5).


CONCLUSIONS
Male cancer patients should be encouraged to freeze numerous sperm samples even when sperm count and motility are poor. In these cases, ICSI is a powerful technique compared with intrauterine injection since thawed sperm samples with poor parameters can produce relatively high fertilization rates resulting in normal pregnancies and deliveries. The possibility to repeat treatments even in the face of a limited number of sperm samples appears to be of importance.
Revel
Ariel
A
IVF Unit, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel. revel@md.huji.ac.il
Haimov-Kochman
Ronit
R
Porat
Anat
A
Lewin
Aby
A
Simon
Alex
A
Laufer
Neri
N
Gino
Hagar
H
Meirow
Dror
D
D000328:Adult; D015925:Cryopreservation / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D009845:Oligospermia / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D018873:Pregnancy Rate; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012662:Semen Preservation / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*