COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW AND CRITICAL EVALUATION OF CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES ON SPERM DNA FRAGMENTATION

Abstract

Sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) is associated with male infertility and reproductive challenges. SDF testing is recommended for individuals with adaptable lifestyles and risk factors for infertility, those experiencing recurrent pregnancy loss, grade 1 varicocele, infertile couples with recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) or undergoing intrauterine insemination (IUI), cases of unexplained infertility, repeated failure in assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures, and patients with either abnormal or normal semen parameters. To assist clinicians in utilizing SDF for male fertility evaluation, guidelines are necessary. Two recent guidelines by Agarwal et al. and Esteves et al. have been evaluated and compared. While the guidelines share similar recommendations, they also highlight differences. The best practice recommendations from these guidelines have been combined to provide a comprehensive understanding of SDF in male fertility.