The objective of the research was to investigate the potential correlation between serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels and sperm parameters such as sperm concentration, sperm count, sperm motility, and sperm morphology. A hundred male patients voluntarily participated in the study at a private andrology clinic in Al Najaf Al Ashraf City, Iraq, between October 2023 and November 2023. The patients were divided into four groups: 26 patients with oligozoospermia, 21 patients with asthenozoospermia, 28 patients with oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT), and those with normozoospermia. Semen quality was evaluated by conducting a semen analysis according to the 2021 World Health Organization guidelines. The ELISA method was employed to measure the levels of AMH in serum samples. Biotechnology Instrument, USA, manufactured the ELIZA components that were used. The average age of the participants was 30.85 ± 0.70 years, BMI was 27.60 ± 0.58 kg/m2, and serum AMH was 2.08 ± 0.11 ng/ml. We did not find any negative or positive correlation between AMH levels in the blood with sperm concentration, sperm count, sperm motility, and sperm morphology in all study groups. The results of this study showed that serum AMH is an unreliable marker for predicting spermatogenic abnormalities.
Intratesticular testosterone plays a crucial role in male reproductive function and overall health. Body Mass Index (BMI) and smoking are known lifestyle factors that can influence hormonal balances. Elevated BMI has been associated with alterations in testosterone levels, impacting male fertility and endocrine function. The aim was to examine the concurrent relationships between intratesticular testosterone, BMI, and smoking habits. Biopsies of the testicles were taken from 32 patients with non-obstructive azoospermia. Testicular sperm extraction (TESE) under spinal or general anesthesia was performed after a comprehensive history, physical examination, and investigations. After performing a minced biopsy and centrifuging the fluid, testicular fluid was extracted. The highest intratesticular testosterone levels were in normal patients and lowest levels in over weight patient; on the contrary the highest serum 17-hydroxyprogesterone levels were found in over weight patient and lowest levels in normal weight patients; There were insignificantly higher both intratesticular testosterone and 17-hydroxyprogesterone levels in non-smokers. In conclusion, the statistical analysis revealed that there is an insignificantly low correlation between intratesticular testosterone levels, BMI, and smoking.
EMMPRIN (Basigin) is a potent inducer of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Expression of EMMPRIN in the uterus has a very important role in implantation of embryo, this study was conducted to evaluate the relationship of pregnancy rates with EMMPRIN levels in follicular fluid and serum of intracytoplasmic sperm injection patients. The study was cross sectional study analyzed the serum and follicular fluid samples of 58 patients undergo ICSI procedure. The serum and follicular fluid samples were collected from infertile women aged 20 to 42 years. However, the levels of EMMPRIN were measured in the serum and follicular fluid samples and these samples were obtained during oocytes retrieval and another serum samples were collected at the day of embryo transfer. All women have ovarian stimulation with recombinant follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) at the second or third day of the cycle. Result: The pregnancy rate was 27.6 %. The present study showed that EMMPRIN in serum and follicular fluid at day of ova pickup and its level at embryo transfer day, are significantly low in pregnant women (p < 0.05) compared to non-pregnant women. The statistical analysis showed no significant correlation between serum and follicular fluid EMMPRIN with endometrial thickness (p > 0.05). EMMPRIN level can be used as a promising parameter for the prediction of pregnancy rate in ICSI cycles.
Azoospermic patients have the option of undergoing in vitro fertilization procedures, specifically intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), for which sperm is retrieved from the patient's own testicles and then injected directly into the oocyte. The aim of the study: evaluate the role of repeated sperm extraction by enzymatic and mechanical mincing techniques in azoospemic patients. A total of 32 males with non-obstructive azoospermia participated in the research. Testicular sperm extraction (TESE) was performed under spinal or general anesthesia after a comprehensive history, physical examination, and investigations. After that, the biopsies underwent through a series of mincing processes, both mechanical and enzymatic. Patients gave information including age, body mass index and previous biopsy attempts. In both enzymatic and mechanical methods there was no significant higher sperm recovery in patients with history of previous testicular biopsies (66.7% vs. 38.5%; p=0.209) and (66.7% vs. 30.8%; p=0.102) respectively. Patients who had undergone prior testicular biopsies had marginally higher sperm recovery rates using both enzymatic and mechanical techniques
For conception and the development of healthy embryos, sperm DNA integrity is crucial. According to a growing body of studies, there is a strong correlation between sperm DNA damage and male infertility. Among the new medicines being developed in the medical field, the application of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) in human reproduction has yet to be examined. A total of 100 semen samples were used in the current experimental investigation. From November 2020 to June 2021, the research was conducted at the High Institute for Infertility Diagnosis and Assisted Reproductive Technologies. Masturbation was used to get an ejaculated semen sample. After semen analysis, the samples were separated into two equal parts, one without autologous PRP and the other with 2% autologous PRP, with the DNA fragmentation assessed using the Sperm Chromatin Dispersion Test. There was highly significant reduction in DNA fragmentation index (p < 0.001). The mean sperm DNA integrity was reduced after adding PRP (33.85±16.73 vs 38.55±16.64), Mean (± SE). PRP has been shown to improve human sperm DNA integrity.
The effect of maternal body mass index (BMI) on fertility outcomes in women undergoing in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles has been extensively evaluated and the results of these studies have shown a lot of controversial issues. Folate is a naturally occurring type of vitamin B9 crucial for reproductive health. 65 infertile couples were subjected to intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles. Both primary and secondary types of infertility were involved, with different causes. The mean plasma folate of all infertile women was 12.71±6.52, with pregnant 11.60±5.57 and non-pregnant 11.74±8.80; with no significant difference in mean plasma folate between them. Moreover, the means of follicular fluid folate of all infertile women, pregnant women, and non-pregnant women were 8.00±5.39, 7.84±4.68, and 8.39±6.19 respectively. There was no significant statistical difference in mean follicular fluid folate between pregnant and non-pregnant women (p=0.719). Also, both plasma folate and follicular fluid folate were not significantly correlated to oocyte and embryo characteristics. Although plasma folate was higher in obese than normal and overweight women, the difference did not reach statistical significance. It appears that the correlation among maternal BMI, folate level and fertility outcomes in women undergoing intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles are still controversial and much research work is needed to figure out such complex interaction among these variables.
The purpose of the study was to determine if age and body mass index in infertile men were associated with stress levels as determined by salivary stress biomarkers (cortisol and alpha-amylase). A cross-sectional study comprising 100 males with an infertility challenge was divided into 25 normozoospermia, 26 oligozoospermia, 21 asthenozoospermia, and 28 oligoasthenoteratozoospermia. Salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase were examined using the ELISA technique . The average age of the patient was 30.85±7.03, and their average BMI was 27.604±5. 7894. The infertile duration mean was 4.7896±3. 85932. The average amylase content in the saliva was 127.3721±40.0952, while the average cortisol content was 72.67±49.09. There are no discernible variations between the comparison mean of BMI and the duration of infertility. In the current investigation, there was no discernible relationship between SAA and age, BMI, or the length of infertility. Saliva cortisol and BMI in the oligoasthenoteratozoospermia group showed a substantial negative correlation (r = 0.483 & p = 0.009), although no significant link was seen with age, BMI, or length of infertility in the other study groups. There was no significant positive or negative correlation found between SAA level and the age and BMI of the four study groups, whereas salivary cortisol showed a substantial negative correlation with BMI in OAT and a non-significant correlation with age.
The integrity of sperm deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and chromatin is very important for genetic material transmission into offspring. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the correlation between sperm deoxyribonucleic acid integrity and sperm parameters. The current study was conducted on 96 semen samples. This study was done at the High Institute for Infertility Diagnosis and Assisted Reproductive Technologies, Al-Nahrain University, for the period between November 2020 and May 2021. The samples were collected, and seminal fluid analysis was performed according to World Health Organization guidelines. Sperm Chromatin Dispersion test was performed. The results showed that the deoxyribonucleic acid fragmentation of sperms in infertile men in this study was higher than reported in fertile men in previous studies, indicating deoxyribonucleic acid fragmentation (DNA) is actively contributing at least partially to male infertility. In terms of enrolled men, sperm deoxyribonucleic acid fragmentation (SDF) showed a significant positive correlation with round cell count.