title: Fertilization and pregnancy using cryopreserved testicular sperm for intracytoplasmic sperm injection with azoospermia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report fertility for men with obstructive (OA) and nonobstructive (NOA) azoospermia after frozen and thawed spermatozoa recovered from the seminiferous tubules and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and to evaluate the factors other than spermatozoa.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective clinical analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male infertility clinic for testicular sperm extraction and freezing/thawing (cryoTESE) and assisted reproductive technologies clinic for ICSI.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-four men with OA and 140 men with NOA undergoing attempted cryoTESE-ICSI.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-three couples with OA underwent a total of 184 cryoTESE-ICSI cycles, and 46 couples with NOA underwent a total of 75 cryoTESE-ICSI cycles.
  
  
  METHODS
  The numbers of eggs at metaphase II injected, two-pronuclei oocytes, normal cleaved embryos, embryos transferred, transfer cycles, biochemical pregnancies, and clinical pregnancies, as well as the implantation and delivery rates, were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fertilization rate in NOA was significantly lower than in OA. Neither the pathology, the source, nor the quantity of spermatozoa had any effect on fertilization or pregnancy rates. Maternal age had no effect on fertilization or embryo cleavage, but did dramatically affect the implantation, pregnancy, and delivery rates in NOA and OA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Good pregnancy rates were achieved without significant differences among the sperm sources. The pregnancy and the delivery rate were dependent strictly on the age of the female partner but not on her ovarian reserve.
authors.affiliation: Division of Urology, Department of Organs Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, 7-5-1 Kusunoki-Cho, Chuo-Ku, Kobe, Japan. iskwtmmt@med.kobe-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Tomomoto
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Masahide
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shiotani
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Izumi
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: Shoji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kokeguchi
authors.forename: Sakae
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujisawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D053713:Azoospermia / Q000145:classification / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D015925:Cryopreservation / Q000379:methods*; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D005260:Female; D005306:Fertilization / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D012662:Semen Preservation / Q000379:methods*; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic / Q000379:methods*; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions / Q000502:physiology; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000166:cytology*