title: [Short-term medication of L-carnitine before intracytoplasmic sperm injection for infertile men with oligoasthenozoospermia].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the pregnancy promoting effect of L-carnitine combined with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in treating male infertility with oligoasthenozoospermia.
  
  
  METHODS
  We assigned 129 patients with oligoasthenozoospermia to receive 2 weeks of oral L-carnitine followed by ICSI (medication group, n = 42) and ICSI alone (control group, n = 87). We compared the sperm concentration and motility, the percentage of grade a + b sperm, and sperm deformity before and after L-carnitine medication, as well as the rates of fertilization, cleavage, available embryo and clinical pregnancy between the two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The percentage of grade a + b sperm was significantly increased after L-carnitine medication as compared with the baseline ([13.5 +/- 10.7] % vs [9.6 +/- 7.2] %, P<0.05), and so was the rate of available embryo in the medication group after ICSI in comparison with that of the control group (77.50% vs 69.04%, P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Short-term medication of L-carnitine can improve sperm quality and raise the success rate of ICSI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Reproductive Medicine, International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200030, China. wuzhengmu@126.com
authors.forename: Zheng-Mu
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Yong-Wei
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Jie-Wei
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.forename: Feng-Hua
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.forename: Huai-Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D053627:Asthenozoospermia / Q000628:therapy*; D002331:Carnitine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D009845:Oligospermia / Q000628:therapy*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D002331:Carnitine