Abstract:

Objective To investigate the correlation between sperm DNA fragmentation index（DFI）and male infertility or early recurrent abortion occurred in the subjects′ spouses. Methods A total of 330 men who had received sperm DFI test in our center from December 2018 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the fertility status of their spouses，they were divided into infertility group（group A，n = 96），early recurrent abortion group（group B，n = 86），and normal fertility group（group C，n = 148）. The sperm DFI index and sperm parameters were compared among the three groups. Results There was no significant difference in age among groups A，B and C（P > 0.05）. Concentration of sperms，sperm activity，and rate of sperms with progres⁃ sive motility were lower，while rate of sperms with abnormal morphology was higher in group A or B than in group C（P < 0.01 for all comparisons）. DFI ≥ 30% was 52.1% in group A，46.5% in group B，and 6.8% in group C. DFI in group A or B was significantly higher than that in group C（P < 0.01）. Conclusions An increase in sperm DFI has a negative impact on male sperm，leading to male infertility and early recurrent abortion，to which should be paid attention. Sperm DFI index could be used in the evaluation of male infertility，which is worthy of clinical application.

Key words:

sperm DNA fragmentation index, male infertility, early recurrent abortion, sperm