Journal of Andrology
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Strehler, E.
Right arrow Articles by Baccetti, B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Strehler, E.
Right arrow Articles by Baccetti, B.

Journal of Andrology, Vol 18, Issue 4 439-447, Copyright © 1997 by The American Society of Andrology

JOURNAL ARTICLE

The effect of follicle-stimulating hormone therapy on sperm quality: an ultrastructural mathematical evaluation

E. Strehler, K. Sterzik, M. De Santo, M. Abt, R. Wiedemann, U. Bellati, G. Collodel, P. Piomboni and B. Baccetti
Institute for Reproductive Medicine, Ulm, Germany.

We investigated the effect of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) administration on the ultrastructure of spermatozoa in order to evaluate the potential of FSH therapy for improving sperm quality. Forty-six patients exhibiting idiopathic oligoasthenoterato-zoospermia who attended the intrauterine insemination (IU), in vitro fertilization (IVF), or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) program at our clinic received FSH in daily dosages of 150 IU over a period of 12 weeks. Using transmission electron microscopy, the ultrastructural analysis of spermatozoa was performed prior to the start of FSH therapy, after the treatment had been finished, and 6 weeks posttherapy. Applying a mathematical formula based on submicroscopic characteristics, we calculated the number of morphologically normal spermatozoa. After the FSH treatment, the examined subcellular organelles achieved a higher percentage of integrity. Follicle-stimulating hormone treatment leads to a higher number of morphologically normal spermatozoa. The electron microscopic findings indicate that treatment with pure FSH may be an effective way to improve sperm quality in cases with oligoasthenoterato-zoospermia. Applying the mathematical analysis based on the whole complex of the selected sperm characteristics, we obtained a way to evaluate the success of therapy for the first time.




HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1997 by The American Society of Andrology.