DNA fragmentation testing is a new and advanced method of male fertility testing that aims to measure the amount of damaged DNA in a sperm sample. Technically, all men tend to have some amount of damage to their sperm DNA, but higher percentages of damage to the sperm DNA tend to indicate low or poor levels of fertility. A damaged sperm or sperm with higher levels of DNA fragmentation can gravely impact the success rate of fertility treatment, so this procedure is mainly done to assess if the sperm is healthy enough to produce variable results in a fertility treatment procedure.
Though a semen analysis is still the most commonly used test in the diagnosis of male infertility, according to research, it has been proven that the results of a semen analysis cannot reliably predict if the male is infertile or is suitable to undergo fertility treatments. As a result, clinicians and researchers have begun to rely on sperm DNA fragmentation to predict a more accurate analysis of the variability of the sperm that will be useful for fertility tests and research.
The success of a fertility test is determined by the development of a healthy embryo. Successful embryonic development requires healthy and undamaged DNA from both the egg and sperm. Studies have shown that infertile men tend to have more damaged DNA in their sperm, and this often leads to poor outcomes in fertility treatments. In some cases, a significant number of infertile men have also been found to have higher levels of DNA fragmentation despite producing reliable results through poor semen analysis. Hence, experts and researchers who are keen on getting the most accurate results for diagnosing male infertility tend to rely on DNA fragmentation testing.
As the latest and most reliable method of assessing male infertility, DNA fragmentation comes with a whole range of benefits and is very useful in various ways, such as;
Sperm DNA fragmentation is usually recommended for the following candidates:
At Rhea IVF and Women’s Hospital, we always aspire to be at the forefront of innovation, advanced diagnosis, and surgical techniques. We hope to provide a more accurate analysis of male infertility using this technique, as well as develop and provide solutions and treatments that ensure the best outcomes.
