SPERM MOTILITY ON TESTICULAR SPERM EXTRACTION (TESE) SAMPLES DEFINES SPECTRUM OF NORMALCY IN POST-VASECTOMY PATIENTS

To determine whether there is an association between obesity, length of time (LOT) post-vasectomy, high FSH, or low testosterone levels with sperm motility in testicular sperm extraction (TESE) samples. Our cohort included 250 men who presented for TESE at our tertiary men’s fertility clinic between 2015 and 2020. Clinical data including gonadal hormone levels, BMI, and vasectomy status were reviewed. Patients with azoospermia on TESE sample were excluded. Sperm motility was categorized into groups of 0%, 1-4%, and >5%, following TESE. Analysis of Variance was used to compare categorical variables of sperm motility grouping in post-vasectomy patients. Institutional IRB clearance for a retrospective case analysis was granted. A total of 53 post-vasectomized men were included in the analysis. There were no statistically significant differences between group means for BMI as determined by ANOVA (Table 1, p=0.4688). Of note, in patients who received testing of gonadal hormone levels, there were no statistically significant differences between group means for FSH or testosterone levels as determined by ANOVA (Table 1, p=0.46; Table 1, p=0.5245)). Additionally, no significant difference was observed between group means for LOT post-vasectomy between motility groups (Table 1, p=0.9962). This is the first study examining sperm motility on TESE in iatrogenically azoospermic men. While studies report that age does not affect kinetics after vasectomy reversal, modifiers for sperm motility have not been investigated on TESE prior to reversal. Obesity, LOT post-vasectomy, high FSH or low testosterone levels may signify unhealthy seminiferous tissue. A relationship between these variables may demonstrate whether a TESE is indicated for post-vasectomy patients who are interested in in vitro fertilization (IVF). Our results indicate no significant associations between sperm motility and BMI, gonadal hormone levels, or length of time post-vasectomy. There is an unknown variable for post-vasectomy variance in motility.