Do follicle-stimulating hormone receptor polymorphisms in infertile men influence intracytoplasmic sperm injection outcomes? A prospective cohort study

The follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and its receptor regulate the quantity and quality of spermatozoa production. Several studies have analyzed the effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in exon 10 of the FSH receptor (FSHR) on basic semen parameters without yet reaching a firm consensus. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of p.Thr307Ala and p.Asn680Ser polymorphisms in exon 10 of the FSHR gene, in infertile men, on intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) outcomes. This study was conducted between March 2019 and February 2020 on infertile couples undergoing ICSI at Al Hadi Laboratory and Medical Center, Lebanon. Couples with severe infertility factors that may impair gametogenesis/embryogenesis (e.g. advanced maternal age, premature ovarian failure, underwent gonadotoxic treatments, etc.) were excluded from the study. Semen and blood samples were collected from infertile men on the day of oocyte collection. Infertile men (n = 173) were screened for FSHR variants using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Moreover, fertilization rates, embryo quality, and pregnancy outcomes were evaluated. Higher sperm concentrations were found in the p.Thr307Ala group than the p.Thr307Thr (P < 0.01) and p.Ala307Ala (P < 0.05) groups. Furthermore, fertilization rate was significantly lower in the p.Ala307Ala genotype than in the p.Thr307Thr genotype (P < 0.05). We showed that FSHR variants in infertile men undergoing ICSI could affect sperm concentration, motility, and fertilization rates. Therefore, it will be important to confirm these results in further studies using a larger sample size.