Elevated sperm DNA fragmentation does not predict recurrent implantation failure

Abstract

In this study, we sought to determine whether sperm DNA fragmentation (DFI%) and high DNA stainability (HDS%) evaluated by sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) predict recurrent implantation failure (RIF) or pregnancy rate. A retrospective study was performed of consecutive cycles of ICSI treatment from 2009 to 2018. A total of 386 couples that underwent 1,216 frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles were analysed. Mean female and male age was 34 ± 3.6 years and 37.3 ± 6.6 years, respectively, and a median total motile sperm count (TMSC) was 43.5 [9.9–105.5] million. Overall median DFI% and HDS% was 12 [7.1–18.9] and 9.6 [6.5–14.4] respectively. On multivariable analysis, DFI% and HDS% were not associated with RIF (DFI%: OR = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.98–1.04, p =.414; HDS%: OR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.94–1.01, p =.107) or IVF success, defined as clinical pregnancy (DFI%: OR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.99–1.01, p =.641; HDS%: OR = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.99–1.02, p =.565). We found that neither DFI% or HDS%, as assessed by SCSA, were predictive of RIF or pregnancy rate. This finding suggests that sperm DNA fragmentation does not predict RIF or pregnancy rate.