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In about 20% of couples experiencing infertility issues, the main cause is male factor infertility. Sometimes, routine sperm tests may not explain the reason for infertility when evaluating male infertility.
Today, there is a need for new tests that can more clearly reveal the causes of male infertility and predict pregnancy outcomes.
Advanced sperm tests, in addition to semen analysis parameters, focus on identifying the chromosomal load transferred by the sperm during fertilization (Sperm FISH), the level of damage in the DNA molecules transferred from the sperm (Sperm DNA Damage Detection), or the packaging problems of the DNA molecules (Sperm DNA Packaging Test).
Our cells, which make up the human body and contain a total of 46 chromosomes, receive 23 chromosomes from the mother and 23 from the father. Human reproductive cells, egg and sperm cells, contain 23 chromosomes.
When egg and sperm cells without any numerical or structural abnormalities come together during fertilization, they form a 46-chromosome embryo.
Sometimes, despite individuals having normal chromosomal structures, reproductive cells (egg or sperm) with fewer or extra chromosomes are produced due to faulty division in reproductive cells. As a result, embryos with an abnormal number of chromosomes are formed.
Most of these anomalies are incompatible with life, meaning they do not result in a pregnancy, while some lead to miscarriage early on, even before the pregnancy is noticed.
In a normal man, the rate of chromosomally abnormal sperm is less than 0.5% to 1%. Studies have shown that this rate is much higher in men with infertility problems.
This rate increases even further, particularly in men observed to have low sperm count and quality in routine sperm analysis. The Sperm FISH test is a method that examines abnormalities in the number of chromosomes carried by sperm using a technique called fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).
Your doctor may recommend the Sperm FISH test if one or more of the following conditions are identified during the evaluation:
Some studies have shown that smoking, excessive alcohol and caffeine consumption, certain medications, and radiation can cause abnormal chromosomal structures in sperm.
The chromosomes of sperm are examined using the FISH (Fluorescent In-Situ Hybridization) method. Labeled probes are used for selected chromosomes that most frequently cause chromosomal anomalies to detect any deficiencies or excesses in each sperm cell.
It has been proven that sperm DNA damage is more common in infertile men than in fertile men, and that sperm DNA damage negatively affects fertility potential in these individuals. In men with normal sperm structure, it is known that about 8% of sperm DNA shows damage.
Impaired sperm parameters, such as low count, motility, and abnormal morphology, are often associated with high sperm DNA damage rates (up to 30%). In couples who do not achieve a healthy pregnancy after artificial insemination, sperm DNA damage is found to be significantly high.
In IVF and ICSI cycles, sperm DNA damage has been reported to negatively impact embryo quality and affect pregnancy success in these couples.
Besides these indications, if factors that may increase sperm DNA damage, such as infection, varicocele, conditions causing heat increase in testicular tissue, heavy smoking and alcohol consumption, and environmental pollution are present, your doctor may recommend a sperm DNA damage detection test.
There are several methods used to detect sperm DNA damage, such as the Acridine Orange Test (AOT), Toluidine Blue Test (TB), Aniline Blue Test, and the TUNEL test. The most commonly used method is the TUNEL test.
In this test, the broken regions present in the sperm DNA, marked with special dyes, are measured by fluorescence microscopy or flow cytometry. Sperms are then classified as TUNEL positive or negative, and the proportion is calculated relative to the total sperm population. Values below 15% are considered normal.
Due to legal regulations, we cannot publish the cost information for advanced sperm tests on our website.
To learn more about current pricing, you can fill out our contact form or reach us at 444 39 49.
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