% DNA Fragmentation

The purpose of this test is to analyze the quality of DNA the sperm carries to the woman’s egg, which is of vital importance for the development of the embryo and the success of the pregnancy.

It is recommended for couples who haven’t been able to conceive despite having undergone highly complex assisted reproduction treatments. For those who have suffered recurrent miscarriages. Or in which the man suffers from chronic uncontrolled diseases such as diabetes.

The sperm is irrigated with a dye that only adheres to sperm with damaged DNA chains. The sperm then passed one by one under a beam of light that illuminates the dye and causes them to look orange (damaged) or green (normal). Finally, a computer counts the green and orange sperm and calculates the DNA fragmentation rate, which is used to determine sperm quality.

A normal sperm sample should have less than 15% of damaged sperm, while in severe infertility cases that amount rises up to more than 30%.