Live Birth After Intrauterine Insemination With Spermatozoa From an Oligoasthenozoospermic Patient Vitrified Without Permeable Cryoprotectants

We report the first case of a healthy baby born after intrauterine insemination with vitrified swim-up spermatozoa from an oligoasthenozoospermic patient. A 39-year-old patient was subjected to intrauterine insemination with spermatozoa from her 35-year-old husband, diagnosed with oligoasthenozoospermia. The swim-up spermatozoa from 2 ejaculates were suspended in a culture medium supplemented with 1% human serum albumin and 0.25 M sucrose. Three hermetically packaged 100-μL sperm portions (each containing 1.0 × 10(6) spermatozoa/mL) were vitrified by direct plunging into liquid nitrogen. The presence of leukocytes in the ejaculates was determined by indirect immunofluorescence assay. Production of reactive oxygen species was measured by chemiluminescent assay. Before intrauterine insemination, all portions were warmed in culture medium at 37°C, and the spermatozoa were concentrated by centrifugation; they were then resuspended in 500 μL of culture medium and inseminated. The cell suspension used for insemination displayed 60% progressive motility. Clinical pregnancy was confirmed at 7 weeks of gestation, and a healthy baby was born at term. Our results show that a successful intrauterine insemination can be achieved with aseptic vitrification of spermatozoa.