Journal of Reproduction & Infertility

Journal of Reproduction & Infertility

Idiopathic Recurrent Pregnancy Loss: Role of Paternal Factors; A Pilot Study

Authors
Syed Nazar Imam 1
Monis Bilal Shamsi 1
Kishlay Kumar 1
Dipika Deka 2
Rima Dada 1
1 Laboratory for Molecular Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
Abstract
Background: This case-control study was designed with the aim of evaluating the role of sperm, oxidative stress and DNA damage in idiopathic recurrent pregnancy loss (iRPL). This pilot study is the first study done on the Indian population which reports the association between DFI, TAC and ROS in couples experiencing iRSA. Methods: Twenty infertile men with a history of iRPL and 20 fertile controls (having fathered a child a year earlier) were included in the study which was performed in Laboratory for Molecular Reproduction and Genetics, India, from March 2010 to July 2011. The female partners of the participants were normal on gynaecological examination and had normal endocrine and blood profiles. Conventional semen analysis was performed (concentration, motility, morphology; WHO criteria, 2010) within 1 hour of sample collection. Levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were assessed by luminol-dependant chemiluminescence. The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was quantified by ELISA. The Sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) was performed by flow cytometry to determine DNA fragmentation Index (DFI). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 15 and parameters were compared by Mann-Whitney test. Pearson correlation test was used to find the correlation between parameters and a p-value
Keywords
oxidative stress
reactive oxygen species
Recurrent spontaneous abortion
Sperm chromatin structure assay
Sperm DNA damage
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Journal of Reproduction & Infertility
Volume 12, Issue 4
Autumn 2011
Pages 267-276