Outcome of donor versus husband insemination in couples with unexplained infertility treated by in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the IVF-ET outcome of couples with unexplained infertility treated by husband versus donor sperm.

DESIGN

A retrospective analysis of the IVF-ET outcome of couples with unexplained infertility treated by either husband or donor sperm and in a subgroup of patients treated simultaneously by husband and donor sperm.

SETTING

IVF Unit, Serlin Maternity Hospital, Tel Aviv, Israel.

PATIENTS

Couples diagnosed as having unexplained infertility underwent IVF at our Unit; included were 96 couples treated by husband insemination (group A), 27 couples who received donor insemination because of azoospermia (group B), and 8 couples who sought donor insemination after having previously failed IVF (group C).

RESULTS

No statistically significant difference was found between groups A and B regarding age of the females, duration of infertility, number of IVF cycles, fertilization rate, number of ETs, and pregnancy rate. Oocytes collected in group C were subdivided further into two groups: 45 were incubated with husband sperm and 46 were incubated with donor sperm. Fertilization rates were 46.6% and 50%, respectively. One pregnancy occurred.

CONCLUSION

In couples with unexplained infertility who had undergone IVF-ET with husband insemination, the fertilization and pregnancy rates were similar to those of couples who were treated by donor sperm.