Male Fertility Services
DNA Fragmentation Index Assessment
DNA Fragmentation Index (DFI) is a diagnostic test that measures the integrity of sperm DNA. It evaluates the degree of fragmentation in sperm DNA, which can impact fertility and the success of conception.
A lower DFI indicates healthier sperm DNA, which is crucial for optimal fertilization and embryo development.
High sperm DFI reduce the chance of a successful pregnancy and live birth by affecting embryo development and increase the risk of first trimester miscarriage
Which patients we prefer to do DFI?
- Unexplained infertility
- Recurrent early pregnancy loss
- Previous failed IVF cycles
- Multiple failed IUI cycles
- Chronic smokers
Methods to diagnose sperm DFI
- Comet assay
- TUNEL assay
- Sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA)
- Sperm chromatin dispersion (Halo test)
- Micronucleus assay
Results
- <15% DFI- Excellent to good pregnancy outcomes (if there are no female factors)
- >15% to <25% DFI - Good to fair pregnancy outcome
- >25% to <40% DFI - fair to poor pregnancy outcome
- >40% DFI - very poor pregnancy outcome When DFI> 25%, current literature suggests that the patient either try to reduce that number by medical intervention, change of lifestyle or skipping IUI and move to IVF/ICSI for increased odds for positive pregnancy outcome
Treatment options for sperm DNA fragmentation
- Lifestyle and dietary modifications
- Medical treatments and supplements
- Sperm selection techniques – MACS, Microfluidics
- IVF
