Comparison of conventional in vitro fertilisation and intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes in patients with moderate oligoasthenozoospermia

Summary The method of choice for assisted reproductive technology treatment in vitro fertilisation ( IVF ) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection ( ICSI ) is usually based on the evaluation of male infertility factors. Decisions for couples with moderate oligoasthenozoospermia ( OA ) are often empirical because uniform treatment criteria are lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of patients with moderate OA treated with conventional IVF and ICSI . A total of 199 couples with moderate OA undergoing their first IVF / ICSI cycle were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups according to the type of insemination: conventional IVF group ( n  = 97) and ICSI group ( n  = 102). All patients were randomised to be inseminated either by conventional IVF or ICSI . The fertilisation rate, embryo quality, implantation rate and clinical pregnancy rate were examined. No differences in the fertilisation, implantation and pregnancy rates were observed between conventional IVF and ICSI groups ( P  >   0.05). However, the number of good‐quality embryos was significantly higher in the ICSI group than in the IVF group ( P  < 0.05). Couples with moderate OA did not influence on the overall clinical outcomes between IVF and ICSI treatments, and a negative influence by ICSI on blastocyst development was not confirmed.