Sperm Selection Strategies and Male-Factor Phenotypes in ICSI

Overview

This retrospective multicentre observational cohort study evaluates clinical and reproductive outcomes associated with different sperm-selection strategies used during intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), including conventional ICSI, hyaluronan-binding sperm selection (PICSI), and microfluidic sperm selection. The study uses routinely collected real-world clinical and laboratory data from fertility treatment cycles performed at multiple centres. Analyses will assess overall comparative effectiveness and whether treatment effects differ according to male-factor phenotypes, including sperm DNA fragmentation. Key outcomes include fertilization, embryo development, pregnancy establishment, pregnancy loss, and cumulative reproductive outcomes at the source-cycle level. The study is observational; treatment allocation was determined by routine clinical practice rather than by a study protocol.

The ANDRO-ART study is a retrospective, multicentre, observational cohort study based on routinely collected clinical and embryological data from ICSI treatment cycles performed across multiple fertility centres. The study compares three sperm-selection strategies used in routine clinical practice: conventional ICSI, hyaluronan-binding sperm selection (PICSI), and microfluidic sperm selection. The primary analytical framework will evaluate comparative effectiveness in the overall cohort, followed by prespecified phenotype-specific analyses. Particular attention will be given to male-factor biomarkers, including sperm DNA fragmentation, in order to assess whether the clinical association between sperm-selection strategy and reproductive outcomes differs across biologically defined subgroups. Outcomes of interest include fertilization, embryo development, clinical pregnancy, pregnancy loss, and cumulative reproductive outcomes evaluated from the source ICSI cycle. Additional analyses may include treatment-by-phenotype interactions, subgroup analyses based on sperm DNA fragmentation categories, and sensitivity analyses designed to address confounding and centre-level heterogeneity. The study is non-interventional. Patients were not assigned to sperm-selection strategies according to a research protocol; all procedures were performed as part of routine fertility treatment. Historical data will be analysed using predefined eligibility criteria and statistical methods before final data freeze.