Retrospective, observational study.
Medical center.
A total of 101 couples with at least two failed intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) attempts and impaired sperm morphology.
Patients divided into two groups according to sperm morphology and vacuolization pattern: group A comprising patients with good quality spermatozoa (type I and/or type II spermatozoa) (n = 63 patients); group B comprising patients with low quality spermatozoa (type III and/or IV spermatozoa) (n = 38 patients).
Fertilization rate, embryo quality, pregnancy, implantation, and live-birth rates.
No statistically significant differences were observed between group A and B with regard to ¡°early¡± assisted reproduction outcomes (fertilization rate and embryo quality). However, the ¡°late¡± outcomes (pregnancy, implantation, and live-birth rates) were statistically significantly higher in group A.
These results confirm a correlation between sperm vacuoles and a negative IMSI outcome, suggesting that sperm vacuoles are related to the late paternal effect.