Why sperm quality matters?
Having healthy sperm is a key aspect of fertility. However, a multitude of factors can influence sperm health:
Factors: Sperm health is mostly dependent on sperm quantity, motility, and shape.
Quantity: The semen in a single ejaculation, or ejaculate, should contain at least 15 million sperm per millilitre. Less than that reduces the odds of becoming pregnant since fewer sperm are available to fertilise an egg.
Movement: To reach and fertilise an egg, sperm must be able to readily pass through the cervix, uterus, and fallopian tubes. This is called motility. In order to conceive, at least 40% of the sperm must be mobile. Pregnancy can occur with low levels of sperm motility, although it is far less common.
Morphology, or shape: Typical sperm have oval heads and lengthy tails, which assist them in migrating. In general, sperm morphology is less significant for fertility than quantity or motility. However, the more sperm with a conventional form, the greater the likelihood of conception.
What causes male fertility issues?
Male fertility can be affected by certain health conditions, such as:
- Diseases and disorders of the testicles.
- Conditions that alter sperm movement.
- Medical conditions involving the hypothalamus or pituitary gland. These glands release hormones that cause the testicles to produce testosterone and sperm. Certain situations can cause the glands to produce fewer hormones. This reduces the body's testosterone and sperm levels.
- Age can also play a part. Sperm motility and the amount of sperm with a characteristic shape decrease with age. This is especially true after the age of fifty.
What is sperm sorting?
Magnetic-Activated Cell Sorting, or MACS, is a technique used by fertility specialists to separate the healthiest and most viable sperm from damaged or dead sperm cells. The treatment employs customised magnetic beads coated with specific antibodies that bind to chemicals found in faulty sperm. When the semen sample passes through the magnetic beads, it becomes linked to the damaged sperm, and the magnetic field attracts all poor-quality sperm cells, leaving only good-quality sperm cells. The technique can thus increase the success rate of IVF and IUI treatments.
Also Read: 8 Best Foods to Increase Fertility in Men
MACS sperm sorting technique
The MACs approach is a straightforward, non-invasive method for efficiently reducing DNA fragmentation in infertile patients prior to ART.
Magnetic Activated Cell Sorting is a method that separates healthy sperms from unhealthy sperms. In a separating column, the sperm is exposed to a magnetic field. The dead and apoptotic sperms are maintained in the separating columns, while good-quality live sperms are collected separately. MACS improves pregnancy rates and reduces implantation failures; hence, it is mostly used in cases of low implantation rates, repeated IVF failures, and excessive DNA fragmentation in sperm.
Once the sperm have been separated, the eggs are fertilised with ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection), a micromanipulation technique used in IVF treatment that involves injecting healthy sperm into the cytoplasm of the egg using a small needle. ICSI is not dependent on the sperm's capacity to migrate independently and attach itself to the egg. The cellular process of fertilisation occurs inside the egg, which must happen naturally. MACS is indicated in patients with a higher DFI (DNA Fragmentation Index) of more than 25%, indicating poor DNA integrity. After separating the sperms with MACS, IVF/ICSI procedures are carried out.
Also Read: When Should I See a Fertility Specialist?
Microfluidic sperm sorting methods
Microfluidic sperm sorting is a method of improving sperm selection in reproductive treatments by manipulating small fluid volumes to carry out precise biological and chemical processes. The fertility specialist uses a microfluidic device, which is a small, chip-like platform that separates and picks sperm cells based on sorting parameters, including motility and shape. This sperm cell sorting technique enables fertility specialists to select the healthiest, most viable sperm cells for use in assisted reproductive technologies, such as in vitro fertilisation. This process is less harmful to sperm cells than typical sperm sorting methods like centrifugation. As a result, this approach improves the overall efficacy and success rates of reproductive treatments.
Benefits of advanced sorting
1. Improved sperm quality
The treatment provides the following benefits:
The MACS procedure allows fertility specialists to extract healthy sperm cells from semen samples. As a result, it enhances fertility treatments by improving sperm quality.
2. Increased pregnancy rates
Improved sperm quality is directly connected with high-quality embryos and thus higher conception rates. When compared to normal sperm selection approaches, the MACS technique significantly increases conception rates.
3. Useful for unexplained male infertility
The treatment is effective in addressing unexplained male infertility conces since it seeks to increase the selection of motile sperm from the remaining low-quality sperm cells in the semen sample.
4. Enhanced IVF Success
A recent study found that using the MACS approach boosted the rate of IVF success and improved sperm selection when compared to treatments without MACS.
5. Reduced miscarriage rates
According to the study, utilising the MACS approach resulted in significantly reduced miscarriage rates. The study's findings revealed that the approach can separate sperm with high Sperm DNA Fragmentation (SDF) levels, potentially boosting reproductive outcomes in ART pregnancies.
6. Non-invasive procedure
As a non-invasive process, there is no risk of infection, adverse effects, or other consequences.
7. Cost-effective option
Traditional sperm selection procedures do not guarantee the best possible sperm quality. Using MACS in conjunction with IVF or other reproductive procedures can increase the likelihood of conception.
Impact on male fertility outcomes
MACS and microfluids techniques vastly help improve fertility outcomes for male factor infertility cases, as these techniques allow the selection of the best quality sperm which improves the chances of fertilization and conception.
Also Read: What are the factors that lead to the successful IVF treatment?
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is MACS sperm sorting?
2. What are microfluidic sperm sorting chips?
3. Why use these advanced methods?
4. Who benefits from MACS or microfluidic sorting?
5. Are these techniques safe?
6. Do they guarantee pregnancy?
7. What about costs and availability?
The treatment is commercially available at fertility clinics and is usually implied during IVF or IUI treatments.
