In vitro fertilization in couples with previous fertilization failure using sperm incubated with pentoxifylline and 2-deoxyadenosine.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether incubation of spermatozoa with both pentoxifylline and 2-deoxyadenosine would improve fertilization rates in couples with previous IVF failure.

DESIGN

Autocontrolled design in which sibling oocytes were inseminated at random in vitro with spermatozoa treated or not treated by pentoxifylline and 2-deoxyadenosine.

MEAN OUTCOME MEASURES

Oocyte quality, sperm motility, fertilization in vitro, and embryo quality.

RESULTS

Sperm motility was found optimized by metabolic stimulation using pentoxifylline and 2-deoxyadenosine. The mean fertilization rate per patient was 33.1% in the treatment group compared with 37.0% in the control group. The mean cleavage rate per patient was 79.6% for treatment versus 68.7% for control embryos. No differences in embryo quality were noted.

CONCLUSION

The results of this study demonstrate that an indiscriminate use of pentoxifylline and 2-deoxyadenosine is not beneficial to fertilization in couples with previous IVF failure. Further prospective research may be needed to assess the benefit of pentoxifylline and 2-deoxyadenosine in patients selected by preliminary functional in vitro tests.