Relationship between micro-particle contaminations with semen quality and assisted reproductive outcomes

Background: Bacterial contaminations of human semen are quite frequent and may contribute to the deterioration of the semen quality. The presence of bacteria in semen may also interfere with infertility treatment and influence the development and viability of human embryos and pregnancy outcomes. However, there have been conflicting reports regarding the effects of bacterial contaminations on sperm fertility potential.Objective: To determine the possible relationship between seminal bacterial contaminations with conventional sperm parameters, fertilization and cleavage rate, embryo quality and subsequent pregnancy in infertile men.Materials and Methods: A total of 120 infertile men attending for assisted reproductive cycles were included in this study. Out of these, 50 men with the bacteriospermia and 70 men with no apparent clinical signs of contamination were considered as the case and control groups, respectively. The presence of micro-particle contamination in semen samples were assessed according to previous reports with phase-contrast light microscopy. Small sphere-shaped particles were observed in the head, midpiece and tail of the spermatozoa, which were completely different from the debris routinely visible in semen specimens. These micro-particles were interpreted as bacterial contamination. Sperm count and motility were evaluated by Makler chamber. Diff-Quik staining method was applied for sperm morphology. After completion of semen and bacteriologic analysis, the retrieved oocytes were fertilized by ICSI or IVF procedures. The fertilization and cleavage, embryo quality and pregnancy rates were recorded. Data were analyzed using Student’s t test and Mann-Whitney U statistical methods.Results: Normal morphology and progressive motility of spermatozoa were significantly decreased in the case group compared with controls (p<0.05). Case group had higher percentage of immotile spermatozoa in comparison with controls significantly (p<0.05). However, no significant differences were found between the case and control subjects regarding other sperm parameters (p> 0.05). In a similar trend, there were no significant differences between the case and control groups regarding the fertilization, cleavage, embryo quality, and pregnancy rates (p> 0.05).Conclusion: Presence of the micro-particles in semen was associated with compromised semen quality in terms of sperm motility and morphology. However, these particles did not interfere with clinical outcomes.

کلیدواژه ها:

Semen quality ، Bacteriospermia ، Assisted reproduction ، ICSI