JBRA Assisted Reproduction 2025;29(Suppl.2 SBRA 2025):159
Poster Presentation
29th Annual Congress of the SBRA. São Paulo/SP - Brazil, 2025
doi: 10.5935/1518-0557.20263930
P-147. Is There an Association Between Sperm Morphology and The Hyposmotic Test (Host)?
Vera Lucia Langaro Amaral1, Larisa Schrull1, Alfred Paul Senn2, David Til1
1 Universidade do Vale do Itajaí-UNIVALI – Itajai - SC – Brasil
2 UNIVERSITY OF GENEVA, Switzerland
Objective: Sperm morphology is a key predictor of male fertilization capacity and reproductive success. The hypo-osmotic swelling test (HOST), in turn, evaluates the functional integrity of the sperm membrane. Both assessments have been associated with sperm viability. The aim of this study was to simultaneously evaluate head morphology and tail swelling induced by the HOST, in order to determine possible associations between the two.
Methods: Semen samples from 18 individuals (aged 18–45) undergoing semen analysis for fertility evaluation or treatment were included. After the HOST was performed, smears were prepared and stained using the Panoptic staining kit. Head morphology was assessed according to Kruger's strict criteria, and tail swelling was classified into different types (b, c, d, e, f, g), following the description by Jeyendran et al., 1984. The distribution of swelling types among normal, fusiform, piriform, and amorphous spermatozoa was analyzed using the chi-square test and Cramér's V coefficient
Results: A total of 4,739 spermatozoa were analyzed. The distribution of swelling types was as follows: "g" (29%), "b" (23%), "c" (16%), "d" (10%), "e" (10%), and "f" (12%). Regarding head morphology: normal (2.2%), fusiform (50%), piriform (18%), amorphous (21%), and other forms (8.8%). The distribution of swelling types among morphologically normal spermatozoa was compared to those in the amorphous, fusiform, and piriform groups. Contingency tests showed statistically significant differences (p<0.001) in all three comparisons, with higher proportions of normal spermatozoa observed in swelling types "b", "c", and "f". These differences were not observed between the groups of abnormal morphologies. Due to the low number of normal spermatozoa (2.2%), the strength of association measured by Cramér's V ranged from weak to moderate.
Conclusion: Simultaneous analysis of head morphology and HOST-induced tail swelling allows for the subcategorization of morphologically normal spermatozoa, which may be a valuable tool in the context of ICSI. Based on our findings, we recommend excluding spermatozoa with swelling type "g" and prioritizing those with types "c", "f", and "b".