Objective: To predict the chance of total fertilization failure (TFF) before the day of ovum pickup with known semen and female variables. Design: A statistical model was constructed to predict TFF by retrospective analysis (2,366 couples) and subsequently tested on a new IVF population (917 couples).Setting: Academic tertiary referral center. Patient(s): Three thousand three hundred eighty-three couples who underwent an IVF-ET treatment.Intervention(s): None. Main Outcome Measure(s): The ability to predict the probability of TFF in IVF.Result(s): Two variables-postwash total progressively motile sperm cell count (postwash TPMC) and number of follicles-were found to be significant. Taking a probability of 25% as an acceptable risk of TFF, we calculated that a postwash TPMC of <1.1 × 106 cells results in a risk of TFF of >25%. Low responders (<4 follicles) needed a postwash TPMC of >2.2 × 106 cells to reduce the risk of TFF to <25%. High responders (>15 follicles) needed only 0.35 × 106 postwash progressively motile spermatozoa. Conclusion(s): When postwash TPMC and number of follicles are known and an unacceptable TFF outcome is expected, one can propose an ICSI procedure a few days before the day of ovum pickup. Copyright

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doi.org/10.1016/S0015-0282(01)02826-6, hdl.handle.net/1765/70181
Fertility and Sterility
Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM)

Rhemrev, J. P., Lens, J. W., McDonnell, J., Schoemaker, J., & Vermeiden, J. P. W. (2001). The postwash total progressively motile sperm cell count is a reliable predictor of total fertilization failure during in vitro fertilization treatment. In Fertility and Sterility (Vol. 76, pp. 884–891). doi:10.1016/S0015-0282(01)02826-6