FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Infertility Treatment
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A couple between the ages of 29 and 33, with no fertility issues, has a 20–25% chance of conceiving each month. After six months of trying, 60% of couples will conceive without any medical assistance.
If pregnancy does not occur after one year of unprotected intercourse, the couple is considered infertile.
Male factors account for 34% of infertility cases, while 30% involve unfavorable diagnoses in both the male and female partners.
This is why comprehensive semen analysis can help identify potential problems early—potentially avoiding the need for repeated and costly assisted reproductive technologies (ART).
A standard semen analysis only evaluates sperm concentration, motility, and morphology. This is an incomplete assessment, as it overlooks one of the most important parameters: DNA molecular integrity.
Additionally, understanding oxidative stress levels and the quality of the sperm membrane helps ensure a more accurate diagnosis for subsequent fertility treatment.
Notably, 15% of men considered infertile present with normal semen analysis results.
DNA fragmentation, excessive oxidative stress, and lack of sperm viability are directly associated with low fertility rates and failure in embryo development.
These factors can lead to an increased number of cycles needed to achieve pregnancy through IUI (Intrauterine Insemination), IVF (In Vitro Fertilization), or ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection), poorer embryo quality, and recurrent miscarriages.
Based on the percentage of DNA fragmentation, the level of oxidation, and the viability of sperm cells, your medical specialist will evaluate the semen sample.
Together with the semen analysis, they will determine the most appropriate reproductive method and treatment to increase the chances of success.
Antioxidant treatment may significantly reduce DNA fragmentation levels.
The response to treatment varies depending on the causes that may lead to the mentioned damage: if it is caused by toxic factors or high temperatures that activate sperm caspases and endonucleases, correcting DNA fragmentation levels in sperm can be difficult.
Sperm from the first part of the ejaculate has lower levels of DNA fragmentation. On the other hand, frequent ejaculation or the use of testicular sperm, depending on the type of patient, can yield similar results.
The effectiveness of these strategies should be evaluated by your medical specialist on a case-by-case basis, as it varies among patients.
When selecting assisted reproductive technology for couples, DNA fragmentation is important. It has been shown to be associated with a higher likelihood of successful pregnancy during IUI cycles.
Levels above 30% reduce the success rate from 19% to 1.5%. Knowing this data allows us to choose alternative techniques to IUI.
In IVF treatments, fragmentation levels below 25% result in a live birth rate of 33%. With fragmentation levels over 50%, this rate drops to 13%.
He just needs to follow the instructions of his medical specialist. They will require a semen sample, which will be processed by laboratory staff and can be quickly and easily tracked according to the established laboratory protocol.
A DNA fragmentation level above 30% is considered hazardous and is therefore regarded as a male factor associated with reproductive failure.
Sperm DNA damage is a multifactorial process. Tobacco use, obesity, tight clothing, the use of certain medications, fever, advanced age, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy are environmental factors that can lead to increased sperm DNA fragmentation levels.
Some natural factors, such as improper maturation or oxidative stress, can lead to failure in sperm production in the testes, resulting in the same response.
