A comparison of post-thaw results between embryos arising from intracytoplasmic sperm injection using surgically retrieved or ejaculated spermatozoa.

Objective: To study the effect of freeze-thaw on embryos derived from intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) using surgically retrieved and ejaculated spermatozoa.

Design: Retrospective study.

Setting: Private IVF center.

Patient(s): Three hundred eighty-three patients undergoing frozen-thawed ET cycles.

Intervention(s): Testicular sperm aspiration (TESA) or percutaneous epididymal sperm aspiration (PESA) were the sperm surgical retrieval methods used for ICSI. Embryos resulting from ICSI using surgically retrieved and ejaculated spermatozoa were frozen, thawed, and transferred.

Main Outcome Measure(s): Post-thaw survival, implantation, and pregnancy rates.

Result(s): No differences were found between the ejaculated sperm and TESA/PESA groups in terms of post-thaw survival rate (68.4% vs. 66.1%, respectively), pregnancy rate (20.1% vs. 16.1%), and implantation rate (10.6% vs. 12.7%). Similar results were found for those variables when comparing TESA and PESA groups.

Conclusion(s): Cleavage embryos arising from ICSI cycles using testicular and epididymal spermatozoa can be frozen with survival, pregnancy, and implantation rates comparable to those obtained with ejaculated spermatozoa.