Objective: To examine the relationship between sperm chromatin defects, eva
luated by the how cytometric (FCM) sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA),
and! the probability of a pregnancy in a menstrual cycle (fecundability).
Design: Follow-up study.
Setting: The Section of Toxicology and Biomedical Sciences, ENEA Casaccia,
Rome, Italy, and the Department of Occupational Medicine, Aarhus University
Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark. Patient(s): Two hundred fifteen Danish first pr
egnancy planners with no previous knowledge of their fertility capability.
Intervention(s): None.
Main Outcome Measure(s): Semen samples were collected at enrollment to meas
ure semen volume, sperm concentration, motility, and morphology (by microsc
opy), as well as chromatin susceptibility to in situ, acid-induced partial
denaturation by the FCM SCSA. Time to pregnancy was evaluated during a 2-ye
ar follow-up period. Demographic, medical, reproductive, occupational, and
lifestyle data were collected by questionnaire. Fecundability was correlate
d with SCSA-derived parameters.
Result(s): Fecundability declines as a function of the percentage of sperm
with abnormal chromatin and becomes small when aberrant cells are > 40%.
Conclusion(s): Optimal sperm chromatin packaging seems necessary for full e
xpression of the male fertility potential. The SCSA emerged as a predictor
of the probability to conceive in this population-based study. (Fertil Ster
il(R) 2000;73:43-50. (C) 1999 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine
.)