FerTZI, FERTilisation rates predicted by TeratoZoospermia Index 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Teratozoospermia Index (TZI) as a predictor of fertilisation rates in IVF using sperm prepared from density gradient centrifugation (DGC).
IRAS ID
325355
Contact name
Jason Kasraie
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 2 days
Research summary
Research Summary:
The shape of the sperm (morphology) is examined as part of a sperm test to check for issues with a man’s sperm. When looking at sperm morphology, we cannot tell whether sperm are working normally. A calculation known as the Teratozoospermia Index (TZI) may be able to predict how likely it is that the sperm can fertilise (fuse with) the egg. \n\nDuring In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatment, sperm must be prepared before mixing with the eggs. The sperm preparation method is called density gradient centrifugation (DGC). DGC filters out most of the abnormal/dead sperm.\n\nThe purpose of this project is to see if sperm prepared for treatment with fewer abnormalities have a higher chance of fertilising the egg. This will be done by taking small volumes of sperm on the day of treatment before and after it has been prepared. The sperm will be examined under the microscope and the TZI will be calculated. These results will be compared to the number of eggs fertilised. It is expected that if less abnormalities are present on the sperm, then more eggs will fertilise. If so, this will show that TZI is helpful to predict whether the sperm will fertilise an egg.Summary of Results:
This study investigated whether the average number of abnormalities in a sperm sample (using the TZI calculation) was related to the number of fertilised eggs in an IVF treatment. It was expected that less abnormalities in the sperm sample would lead to higher number of eggs being fertilised. When the sperm were prepared for treatment using a technique known as density gradient centrifugation, there were significantly less abnormalities, however a relationship could not be established with the number of eggs that were fertilised (the number of fertilised eggs did not increase or decrease). A smaller number of participants were recruited for this study than we had hoped and this meant that the study was not large enough to be able draw a definitive conclusion. Ideally, a further study with a larger number of participants is required in the future to understand if there is a relationship between TZI and fertilisation rates.REC name
South Central - Oxford B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/SC/0165
Date of REC Opinion
19 May 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion