The effects of sperm parameters and sperm DNA damage on pregnancy outcomes of women undergoing intrauterine insemination

Abstract

In this study, we compared the effects of sperm parameters and sperm DNA damage on pregnancy outcomes of women undergoing intrauterine insemination (IUI) because of an ovulatory dysfunction (OD) and unexplained infertility (UEI). This study was retrospective, and semen samples were collected from records of 88 infertile couples referred to private clinic for infertility treatment from December 2019 to March 2020. The study has two groups: Groups 1: couples with UEI, and Group 2: fertile males with their partners having OD. The participants' age and body mass index (BMI) were 28.20 ± 3.08 and 25.45±2.25, respectively. In the control group, the pregnancy rate was 9/41 (%21.9), and one out of nine patients had a miscarriage. The pregnancy rate in the study group (UEI) was 8/47 (17%), and half of the pregnancies ended as miscarriage. Our results showed that sperm DNA damage increases the abortion rate but has not influenced the pregnancy rate in IUI.