The detrimental effect of cigarette smoking on semen parameters and sperm plasma membrane integrity in infertile patients undergoing intra-uterine insemination

Abstract

The present study was designed to assess the effect of cigarette smoking on semen parameters, hypo-osmotic swelling (HOS) test (%) and outcome of intra-uterine insemination (IUI). In this study, one hundred infertile males were involved and according to cigarette smoking were divided into 55 smokers and 45 non smoker infertile couples. From each male, semen samples were collected and the sperm parameters including sperm concentration, sperm motility, progressive sperm motility, normal sperm morphology, and HOS-test were evaluated according to standard World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. For IUI, the sperm prepared using direct swim-up technique through incubation for 30 minute in 5% CO₂ at 37ºC. The results of the present study demonstrated that the sperm parameters, HOS-test (%) and IUI outcomes for non smoker infertile males was higher than smokers. In addition, the results of sperm parameters and HOS-test (%) for smokers were more deviated from normal range of criteria of WHO than non smokers. Non significant differences (P>0.05) in the sperm HOS-test were assessed between non smokers and smokers.

From the results of the present study, it was concluded that the cigarette smoking have several impacts on sperm functions and integrity of plasma membrane, as well as sperm fertilizing ability. Further studies are recommended to assess the effect of cigarette smoking on DNA damage and embryo quality after IVF-ET.