Karyotypic abnormalities and Y chromosome microdeletions: How do these impact in vitro fertilization outcomes, and how common are they in the modern in vitro fertilization practice?

Objective: To examine the outcomes of in vitro fertilization with intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF-ICSI) in couples in whom the male partner has a karyotypic abnormality or Y chromosome microdeletion (YCM).

Design: Retrospective cohort.

Setting: Single infertility center.

Patients: Couples treated with IVF-ICSI from January 2014 to April 2019 with male factor infertility, sperm concentration of <5 × 10 sperm/mL, and results for karyotype and/or YCM panel.

Interventions: In vitro fertilization with intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

Main Outcome Measures: In couples in whom the male partner had a karyotypic abnormality or YCM: live birth rate/ongoing pregnancy rate, lack of partner sperm for fertilization, complete fertilization failure, cycle cancellation, and no embryos for transfer. The prevalence of karyotypic abnormalities and YCMs in the IVF population was calculated.

Results: The live birth rate/ongoing pregnancy rate for those using partner sperm was 51.4% per transfer. However, 8.5% of cycles that intended to use partner sperm and 22.2% of cycles that intended to use surgically extracted partner sperm had no sperm available. Of cycles that created embryos with partner sperm, 12.5% had no embryo to transfer. The prevalence of karyotypic abnormalities was similar to previous reports (6.0%), while that of YCMs was lower (4.4%). Azoospermia factor a and b mutations were not represented in this population.

Conclusions: It is reasonable to attempt IVF-ICSI with partner sperm in patients with genetic causes of male infertility. Patients should be counseled regarding the possibility of no sperm being available from the male partner, poor/failed fertilization, and genetic implications for potential offspring. Contingency plans, including IVF with donor sperm backup or oocyte cryopreservation, need to be made for these scenarios.