Sperm Separation and Selection Techniques to Mitigate Sperm DNA Damage

Semen preparation and sperm selection techniques exploit the morphological and physiological characteristics of sperm function, including motility, morphology, density, and maturity, as reflected by their cell-surface charge and the expression of hyaluronan receptors. The various methods employed have a common purpose of mimicing sperm selection within the female reproductive tract and, thereby, increasing the likelihood that oocytes will be fertilised by spermatozoa with intact nuclear DNA and a normal genome. Indeed, the paternal genome is relevant to embryonic genome activation and blastocyst development, and has a fundamental impact upon successful implantation, ongoing pregnancy and live birth. The clinical use of both well-established and some more recently developed techniques is discussed in this comparative clinical review of sperm separation from seminal plasma and selection for insemination.