In vitro fertilizing capacity of teratozoospermic human semen samples

Abstract

A total of 410 semen samples from the male partners of infertile Hong Kong Chinese couples were examined during the period of January-October, 1984. The incidence of teratozoospermia was 12.7%, significantly higher than the value of 5.7% observed with a group of 35 normospermic control semen samples collected from the fertile donors. The mean sperm count and percent normal morphology were significantly lower in the teratozoospermic samples in comparison to the normospermic control samples. Twenty of the teratozoospermic samples from male partners of infertile couples also had the in vitro fertilizing capacities determined. The average fertilizing capacity was significantly lower than that in the normospermic control semen samples. However, 35% of the samples had their fertilizing capacities within the range exhibited by the normospermic control group. This finding indicates that the presence of relatively high proportion of abnormal sperm forms in a semen samples does not exclude the possibility that this sample will exhibit satisfactory fertilizing capacity in vitro.