Isolated teratozoospermia and intrauterine insemination
Open accessAbstract
Objective This study tests the hypothesis that IUI treatment in cases with isolated teratozoospermia ( Design A retrospective cohort study. Setting An academic fertility center. Patient(s) Eight hundred seventy-two IUI cycles in 440 couples were analyzed. Intervention(s) Couples (n = 440) were classified in three groups: normozoospermia (n = 213), isolated teratozoospermia (n = 104), and male factor infertility (n = 123). Main outcome measure(s) Live birth rate per cycle and cumulative live birth rate (CLBR). Result(s) The three groups were similar with regard to female age, female infertility factors, and ovarian response after hormonal stimulation. The overall CLBR after four cycles was 41.5%, and was significantly increased in the normozoospermic group (52.8%) when compared to the isolated teratozoospermia group (33.4%) and the male factor infertility group (31.4%). Conclusion(s) This study documents for the first time that the CLBR after four IUI cycles is significantly and similarly reduced in couples with isolated teratozoospermia as in couples with other sperm defects, when compared to couples with normozoospermia. As with couples with male factor infertility, couples with isolated teratozoospermia should be counseled about other treatment options such as IVF, as the CLBR after three IVF cycles is 70%-80% in our program.
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Other smaller studies observed that sperm morphology affected the outcome of IUI.
“Other studies of smaller series also observed that sperm morphology affected the outcome of IUI [86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93].”
From Recommendations for Human Sperm Morphology Assessment in 2025: An Expert Review From the French BLEFCO Group (2026) · cites this paper as [92]
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- Authors
- Spiessens, C., Vanderschueren, D., Meuleman, C., & D'Hooghe, T.
- Affiliations
- Universitair Ziekenhuis Leuven (BE)
- Corresponding author
- Spiessens, Carl
- Venue
- Fertility and Sterility
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2003-11
- Volume
- 80
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1185-1189
- ISSN
- 0015-0282 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2048874912
- Cited by
- 43
- References
- 15
- Citations by year
- 2025: 2 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 2.45
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Fertility and Sterility (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Sperm and Testicular Function
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Reproductive Health and Technologies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Assisted Reproductive Technology and Twin Pregnancy
- Keywords
- intrauterine insemination, male factor infertility, cumulative live birth rate, sperm morphology, normozoospermia, infertility counseling
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Birth Rate, Female, Humans, Infertility, Male, Insemination, Artificial, Homologous, Male, Middle Aged, Pregnancy, Retrospective Studies, Spermatozoa, Cohort Studies, Life Tables, Case-Control Studies, Pregnancy Rate
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