The Society for Translational Medicine: clinical practice guidelines for sperm DNA fragmentation testing in male infertility

Male factors are responsible in approximately half of all infertility cases (1). The remarkable evolution of assisted reproductive techniques (ART) has significantly impacted the development of clinical andrology (2). The value of proper male evaluation is overlooked since intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) possibly gives the couple a baby without explaining the nature or cause of underlying male infertility. In contrast to the rapid development in ART, conventional semen analysis (SA) remained the cornerstone for evaluation of infertile men. However, despite its ability in providing an overall assessment of male fertility potential, SA fails as an accurate predictor of fecundity due to variations in sperm quantity and quality (3). In addition, the live birth rate utilizing ICSI as treatment of male factor infertility does not exceed 30% (4). As a result, there is a need to search for additional diagnostic tools which improve prediction of fertility and direct management decisions of infertile men