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To date, there is limited information about the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in semen especially in the acute phase of the infection. While available data from cohort studies including a total of 342 patients in the acute or recovery phase of the infection are reassuring, one study mentioned detecting virus in the semen of 6/38 COVID-19 patients. Here we assessed SARS-CoV-2 presence in the semen of COVID-19 positive patients in the acute stage of infection, within 24 hours of the positive nasopharyngeal swabs. Semen, seminal plasma and spermatozoa pellet were screened for SARS-CoV-2 and manual or airborne contamination during semen sampling. Among the 32 COVID-19 volunteers, the median interval from the onset of symptoms to semen collection was 4 days [IQR: 0-8]. Only one presented positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR in semen and seminal plasma fractions, although the spermatozoa pellet was negative. Viral cultures were all negative. We observed slightly higher concentrations of bacterial DNA in the SARS-CoV-2 positive specimen than in all negative samples. The bacteria identified neither confirm nor rule out contamination by oropharyngeal secretions during collection. SARS-CoV-2 was rarely present in semen during the acute phase of the disease. This very rare situation could be connected to oral or manual contamination during semen collection. The possible presence of SARS-CoV-2 in semen calls for nasopharyngeal viral testing and strict hygiene protocols during semen collection before assisted reproductive attempts., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Objective: Sperm morphology plays a significant role in assisted reproductive technologies and is associated with high implantation rates. The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcome of intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection (IMSI) after repeated failures of conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) techniques., Study Design: In a prospective study in which couples acted as their own controls, 75 infertile couples were offered IMSI after at least two previous IVF or ICSI failures. The main outcome measures were embryo quality and number of blastocysts obtained., Results: The percentage of top quality embryos obtained at day 2 was increased in IMSI compared to IVF/ICSI cycles (89.8% versus 79.8%; p=0.009). Extended embryo culture was possible in 41.3% of IMSI cycles versus 26.7% of IVF/ICSI cycles (p=0.04), and the mean number of blastocysts obtained was higher in IMSI cycles (1.5±1.9) than in IVF/ICSI cycles (1.0±1.2) (p=0.03). Moreover, IMSI resulted in clinical pregnancy and birth rates of respectively 29.3% and 18.6%., Conclusion: After two or three IVF/ICSI failures, IMSI seems to give better embryo quality and more blastocysts, which allow more embryo transfers at the blastocyst stage. This study supports the use of sperm ultramorphology examination as an independent test to be proposed after repeated IVF or ICSI failures., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

To date, most studies have investigated the minimum number of spermatozoa available for intrauterine insemination (IUI), with no data on the maximum number of motile spermatozoa inseminated (NMSI) having been published. This study aimed to determine whether an upper cut-off for the NMSI during IUI exists above which the live birth rate (LBR) is negatively affected. Retrospective analysis of autologous IUI cycles performed between January 2010 and July 2018 in women <43 years old with a NMSI >1 million. The main outcome was the LBR per IUI cycle as a function of the NMSI. A total of 2592 IUI cycles performed in 1017 couples were included. The LBR increased with NMSI up to 30 million without any upper threshold (AUC = 0.5441). The LBR per IUI cycle were 14.5%, 17.9% and 22.7% for NMSI of >1 to ≤10, >10 to ≤20 and >20 to ≤30 million, respectively (P = 0.003). By univariate analysis, the NMSI, female age, number of mature follicles and oestradiol concentrations on day of ovulation triggering, cycle number and infertility aetiology influenced the LBR. Multivariate analysis showed that the LBR was 1.49 and 1.78 times higher when IUI was performed with a NMSI >10 to ≤20 million (odds ratio [OR] 1.49; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10–2.02]) and >20 to ≤30 million (OR 1.78; 95% CI 1.08–2.94), respectively, compared with IUI with a NMSI >1 to ≤10 million. The LBR after IUI can be optimized by inseminating a maximum of motile spermatozoa up to 30 million. Thus, in this specific cohort, IUI preparations should not be diluted when more than 10 million motile spermatozoa are obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]