News | No need to wait too long: study favors a short ejaculation interval before IVF
A clinical trial found that the interval since a man's previous ejaculation before providing an IVF sperm sample may materially affect pregnancy outcomes. Ejaculation within 48 hours before egg retrieval produced more ongoing pregnancies than longer abstinence.
Near the end of an IVF cycle, a trigger injection promotes final egg maturation, generally 36 hours before retrieval. Men have traditionally been advised to abstain for 2–7 days before collection, but randomized evidence directly comparing pregnancy outcomes has been lacking.
David Miller of the University of Leeds said sperm retained too long face damaging factors including metabolic free radicals and oxidative stress from pollution, which can damage DNA. Very short intervals may reduce sperm count, so the optimum remains debated.
A 2024 meta-analysis suggested intervals under 4 days improve semen quality in infertile men; other research found intervals under 4 hours reduced sperm DNA damage and improved motility. These studies focused on semen measures rather than pregnancy.
Yang Yu's team at the First Hospital of Jilin University conducted the first trial directly testing abstinence and IVF success. Of 453 men, 226 ejaculated about 36 hours before the final sample; 227 followed the conventional 48-hour-to-7-day interval.
Ongoing pregnancy beyond 12 weeks occurred in 46% of the short-abstinence group and 36% of the longer-abstinence group. Live birth was not the endpoint, but Miller said a nonsignificant trend toward fewer miscarriages made a higher live birth rate plausible.
Richard Paulson of the Keck School of Medicine of USC urged caution because both fresh and frozen embryos were included and may have different success rates. Fertilization was slightly lower after short abstinence, yet pregnancies were more likely to continue once fertilization occurred, requiring further study.
Jackson Kirkman-Brown of the University of Birmingham said the trial provided strong human evidence that shorter abstinence may improve sperm quality and pregnancy outcomes. Larger, tightly controlled studies must test non-IVF populations and live birth outcomes.
News | No need to wait too long: study favors a short ejaculation interval before IVF
News | No need to wait too long: study favors a short ejaculation interval before IVF
A clinical trial found that the interval since a man's previous ejaculation before providing an IVF sperm sample may materially affect pregnancy outcomes. Ejaculation within 48 hours before egg retrieval produced more ongoing pregnancies than longer abstinence.
Near the end of an IVF cycle, a trigger injection promotes final egg maturation, generally 36 hours before retrieval. Men have traditionally been advised to abstain for 2–7 days before collection, but randomized evidence directly comparing pregnancy outcomes has been lacking.
David Miller of the University of Leeds said sperm retained too long face damaging factors including metabolic free radicals and oxidative stress from pollution, which can damage DNA. Very short intervals may reduce sperm count, so the optimum remains debated.
A 2024 meta-analysis suggested intervals under 4 days improve semen quality in infertile men; other research found intervals under 4 hours reduced sperm DNA damage and improved motility. These studies focused on semen measures rather than pregnancy.
Yang Yu's team at the First Hospital of Jilin University conducted the first trial directly testing abstinence and IVF success. Of 453 men, 226 ejaculated about 36 hours before the final sample; 227 followed the conventional 48-hour-to-7-day interval.
Ongoing pregnancy beyond 12 weeks occurred in 46% of the short-abstinence group and 36% of the longer-abstinence group. Live birth was not the endpoint, but Miller said a nonsignificant trend toward fewer miscarriages made a higher live birth rate plausible.
Richard Paulson of the Keck School of Medicine of USC urged caution because both fresh and frozen embryos were included and may have different success rates. Fertilization was slightly lower after short abstinence, yet pregnancies were more likely to continue once fertilization occurred, requiring further study.
Jackson Kirkman-Brown of the University of Birmingham said the trial provided strong human evidence that shorter abstinence may improve sperm quality and pregnancy outcomes. Larger, tightly controlled studies must test non-IVF populations and live birth outcomes.
Story source:
Collected online