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High prevalence of isolated sperm DNA damage in infertile men with advanced paternal age

  • Gamete Biology
  • Published:
Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Sperm DNA damage is associated with male infertility, lower pregnancy rates and pregnancy loss.

Objective

The primary aim of our study was to evaluate the prevalence of sperm DNA damage in younger and older men with normozoospermia.

Design, Setting and Participants

We obtained semen from 277 consecutive non-azoospermic men presenting for sperm DNA testing.

Outcome Measurements and Statistical Analysis

The main outcome measures included sperm % DNA fragmentation index (%DFI, using sperm chromatin structure assay), sperm concentration, motility and morphology, and, paternal age.

Results and Limitations

Sperm % DFI was positively correlated with paternal age (r = 0.20, P < 0.001) and inversely correlated % progressive motility (r = −0.16, P = 0.01). Sperm %DFI was significantly higher in older (≥40 years) compared to younger (<40 years) normozoospermic men (17 ± 13 vs. 12 ± 8, respectively P = 0.008), whereas, sperm concentration, progressive motility and morphology were not significantly different in these two groups. Moreover, the prevalence of high levels of sperm DNA damage (>30 % DFI) was significantly higher in older compared to younger normozoospermic men (17 % vs. 3 %, respectively, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

The data indicate that a conventional semen analysis can often fail to detect a defect in spermatogenesis (high %DFI) in older men and suggest that infertile couples with advanced paternal age, including those with normal semen parameters, should consider sperm DNA testing as part of the couple evaluation.

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Funding

No external funding was either sought or obtained for this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Mausumi Das & Hananel Holzer

  2. Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Naif Al-Hathal, Maria San-Gabriel & Armand Zini

  3. OVO Fertility Clinic, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Simon Phillips, Isaac-Jacques Kadoch & Francois Bissonnette

  4. Centre Hospitalier de l’Universite de Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

    Isaac-Jacques Kadoch & Francois Bissonnette

  5. St. Mary’s Hospital, 3830 Lacombe Ave., Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3T 1M5

    Armand Zini

Authors
  1. Mausumi Das
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  2. Naif Al-Hathal
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  3. Maria San-Gabriel
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  4. Simon Phillips
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  5. Isaac-Jacques Kadoch
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  6. Francois Bissonnette
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  7. Hananel Holzer
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  8. Armand Zini
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Armand Zini.

Additional information

Capsule In a retrospective study of 277 consecutive non-azoospermic men presenting for sperm DNA testing, we have found that the prevalence of high levels of sperm DNA damage was significantly higher in older (≥40 years) compared to younger (<40 years) normozoospermic men.

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Das, M., Al-Hathal, N., San-Gabriel, M. et al. High prevalence of isolated sperm DNA damage in infertile men with advanced paternal age. J Assist Reprod Genet 30, 843–848 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-013-0015-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10815-013-0015-0

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