Effect of male hepatitis B virus infection on outcomes of in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer treatment: insights from couples undergoing oocyte donation

It is common to see HBV infected couple seeking fertility treatment in reproductive medical centers. However, it is still unclear whether HBV infection has any relationship with IVF outcome. To assess the impact of male HVB infection on the outcomes of IVF, we retrospectively analyzed data from two hundred and seventy-seven subfertile couples undergoing oocyte donation cycles in our center. Twenty men (7.2%) were HBV seropositive in 277 couples. 20 couples with seropositive husbands had similar semen parameters and fertilization rate when compared with their controls. Among the 215 couples undergoing their first oocyte donation cycles, 19 couples with seropositive husbands/seronegative wives had lower implantation rate (26.7% vs. 40.6%; P > 0.05), and lower clinical pregnancy rate (42.1% vs. 63.8%; P > 0.05), but the difference was not statistically significant. In binary regression model, male HBV infection had no association with clinical pregnancy. Our study shows that male HBV infection has little impact on IVF outcomes.