The cause of ‘unexplained infertility’ for 80% of
couples trying to have a baby has been discovered by researchers from Queen’s
University Belfast and published in the journal Reproductive BioMedicine
Online.
According to the report, around 50,000 couples in
the UK, and 1 million couples worldwide, undergo fertility treatments every
year. Upwards of one third of them are told that they have unexplained or
idiopathic infertility, meaning doctors cannot seem to find anything wrong with
either the male or female after analysis of sperm and fallopian tubes or
uterus.
Professor Sheena Lewis from the School of
Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences at Queen’s has found that around
80% of couples who are diagnosed with unexplained or idiopathic infertility
have a known cause called high sperm DNA damage. The new trial can help these
couples understand better treatment options, which will keep them from wasting
their money, time, and emotions.
Lewis explained:
“The majority of couples experiencing problems
with fertility are able to receive an explanation for their infertility. These
causes range from low sperm count, poor sperm motility in the man to blocked
falllopian tubes or endometriosis in the women. Once the causes for infertility
have been established the appropriate course of assisted conception treatment
can be undertaken.
For almost one third of couples, until now, there
has been no obvious cause for infertility and these couples are given the
diagnosis of ‘unexplained fertility’. These couples often invest a lot of time
and money in fertility treatments like intrauterine insemination (IUI) unlikely
to be successful. In our study we have now had a breakthrough which explains
the cause of infertility for many of those couples. Now that we have found the
cause of infertility for many of those couples suitable treatments can be
tailored for them which will direct them straight to the best treatment and
increase their chances of having a baby.”
The other significant finding revealed by the
study is that it is the first to present evidence suggesting that the
likelihood of conceiving after IVF is linked to the amount of damaged DNA a
man’s sperm contains. A small amount of damage (less than 15% of sperm) is
considered normal. However, if the damage reaches more than 25% of sperm, the
chances of having a baby are lowered, even if the couple is going through
fertility treatment.
The new evidence, which came from over 500
couples, and utilized the male fertility test called SpermComet™, is the most
recent from a round of trials conducted by the well-known male fertility
experts at Queen’s Centre for Public Health.
Lewis concluded, “We are Queen’s have developed
the SpermComet™, which is a unique test for male infertility that measures
damaged DNA in individual sperm – providing all couples with specific
information about the causes and extent of their infertility. This test can
predict the success of infertility treatments and fast-track couples to the
treatment most likely to succeed, leading to reduced waiting times and improved
chances of success. With one million couples worldwide requiring fertility
treatment, these new research findings will give many fresh hope of having a
family.”
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