Abstract

Background: Sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) is considered one of the measures to assess male fertility, but the impact of DFI on the results of conventional in vitro fertilization is still controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between the sperm DNA fragmentation and the outcome of conventional IVF. Materials and method: The cross-sectional study was performed on 64 infertile couples by IVF method at Hue Center for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Hue University Hospital. Sperm DNA fragmentation was determined by the chromatin dispersion assay, and the level of fragmentation was calculated via DFI. After 16-18 hours of IVF implantation, the fertilized oocytes were assessed. Evaluate embryos on days 2 and 5 according to the Istanbul Consensus (2011). Results: The DFI ≤ 15% group showed a statistically significantly higher fertilization rate than the DFI > 15% group (76.41% vs. 68.73%, p=0.037). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in embryo characteristics on days 2 and 5. The level of sperm DNA fragmentation was negatively correlated with the fertilization rate after conventional IVF (r=-0.270; p=0.031). Conclusion: There was a negative correlation between sperm DNA fragmentation and post-IVF fertilization rate.