[Correlation of sperm DNA fragmentation index and high DNA stainability with teratospermia severity and the patient's age: A study of 1 393 infertile males].

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the correlation of the severity of teratospermia and the age of the patient with sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) and high DNA stainability (HDS) in male infertility patients.

METHODS

We collected semen samples from 1 393 infertile males from July to December 2021. Based on the WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen (5th Ed), we performed sperm morphology analysis, examined perm DFI and HDS by flow cytometry, and analyzed the impacts of the severity of teratospermia and the age of the patients on sperm DFI and HDS.

RESULTS

Among the 1 393 male infertility patients, 124 (8.90%) were found with extremely severe, 214 (15.36%) with severe, 235 (16.87%) with moderate, 163 (11.70%) with mild teratospermia, and 657 (47.16%) with morphologically normal sperm (MNS), with statistically significant differences in sperm DFI and HDS among the five groups, and 822 (59.00%) were aged <35 years, 306 (21.97%) 35－<40 years, 223 (16.01%) 40－<45 years and 42 (3.02%) ≥45 years, with statistically significant differences in sperm DFI and HDS among different age groups (P < 0.05). Sperm DFI and HDS were correlated negatively with the percentage of MNS (P > 0.05), but positively with the age of the patients (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Increased severity of teratospermia and age of the patient can increase sperm DFI and HDS, and sperm nuclear chromatin integrity and maturity are important indicators of male fertility.