Poster The Annual Scientific Meeting of the Endocrine Society of Australia and the Society for Reproductive Biology 2013

Assessment of DFI in gonadotropin treated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism patients (#328)

Hani Hoseinifar , Mohammad Ali Sadighi Gilani 1 , Marjan Sabbaghian 1 , Tahereh Modarresi 1 , Mohammad Chehrazi 2
  1. Department of Andrology at Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
  2. Department of Epidemiology and Reproductive Health at Reproductive Epidemiology Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran

Background: Various factors play a role in male infertility. One of the factors is hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH). Spermatogenesis in men with HH can be induced by gonadotropin12 . Intact human sperm DNA is prerequisite for successful fertility and DNA damage may be resulted in abnormal reproduction.

Aims/objectives: Study of sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) in gonadotropin treated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism patients with and without a child.

Methods: It is a cross sectional study. The study included 60 patients who were diagnosed with HH at the Infertility Unit of Royan Institute between 2010 and 2012 and after gonadotropin therapy had sperm count > 1× 106 sperm per ml. Patients were divided into two groups: 17 gonadotropin treated HH patients with a child(s) (group 1) and 43 gonadotropin treated HH patients without a child (group 2). Fragmented DNA in spermatozoa was visualized by TUNEL assay.

Findings: Average of DFI (group 1: 12.88 ± 0.65, group 2: 22.37 ± 0.9), age, body mass index, testis volume semen parameters and FSH, LH and testosterone levels in two groups was calculated.

Conclusions: It was shown that DFI in group 1 is significantly lower than DFI in group 2 (P < 0.001). Other parameters between two groups were not significant. There are not any studies about DNA fragmentation index in patients with HH, yet. It can be concluded that despite of low sperm quality, especially sperm concentration in these patients, decreasing sperm DNA damage may be resulted in successful fertilization.
  1. Farhat R, Al-zidjali F and Alzahrani AS: Outcome of gonadotropin therapy for male infertility due to hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism. Pituitary. 13: 105-10, 2010.
  2. Oldereid NB, Abyholm T and Tanbo TG: Spermatogenesis and fertility outcome in male hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism. Hum Fertil (Camb). 13: 83-9, 2010.