Outcome of donor versus husband insemination in couples with unexplained infertility treated by in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the IVF-ET outcome of couples with unexplained infertility treated by husband versus donor sperm.

DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of the IVF-ET outcome of couples with unexplained infertility treated by either husband or donor sperm and in a subgroup of patients treated simultaneously by husband and donor sperm.

SETTING: IVF Unit, Serlin Maternity Hospital, Tel Aviv, Israel.

PATIENTS: Couples diagnosed as having unexplained infertility underwent IVF at our Unit; included were 96 couples treated by husband insemination (group A), 27 couples who received donor insemination because of azoospermia (group B), and 8 couples who sought donor insemination after having previously failed IVF (group C).

RESULTS: No statistically significant difference was found between groups A and B regarding age of the females, duration of infertility, number of IVF cycles, fertilization rate, number of ETs, and pregnancy rate. Oocytes collected in group C were subdivided further into two groups: 45 were incubated with husband sperm and 46 were incubated with donor sperm. Fertilization rates were 46.6% and 50%, respectively. One pregnancy occurred.

CONCLUSION: In couples with unexplained infertility who had undergone IVF-ET with husband insemination, the fertilization and pregnancy rates were similar to those of couples who were treated by donor sperm.