Objective: The first goal of this study was to determine the effect that semen processing has on sperm DNA integrity. The second goal was to assess which processing technique (modified swim-up versus density gradient centrifugation) results in a superior sample. DNA integrity was measured using a novel Toluidine Blue Assay.
Study design: Side-by-side comparison.
Materials and methods: Raw semen samples were collected from thirty-two male individuals and scored for routine semen analysis. Prior to discarding the specimens identical aliquots were divided and processed by density gradient centrifugation and a modified swim-up technique. The Toluidine Blue Assay was used to analyze raw and processed samples.
Results: Both density gradient centrifugation and the modified swim-up improved DNA quality compared to the unprocessed sample. However, the modified swim-up technique proved superior.
Conclusions: The swim-up technique generates a sperm sample with better DNA integrity. Should DNA integrity correlate with better pregnancy rates in IUI and IVF, respectively, the swim-up may be the sperm processing technique of choice for these procedures.
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