Estimation of aneuploidy levels for 8, 15, 18, X and Y chromosomes in 97 human sperm samples using fluorescence in situ hybridization

Objective: To estimate the mean frequency of aneuploidy levels of chromosomes 8, 15, 18, X, and Y in human sperm, while minimizing the effect of individual factors by analyzing sperm samples from a large set of patients.

Design: Prospective randomized analysis of sperm nuclei by fluorescence in situ hybridization.

Setting: University-based laboratory for reproductive biology.

Patient(s): One hundred two patients with a large distribution of sperm parameters, randomly selected from volunteers who had presented seeking a semen analysis.

Intervention(s): The sperm samples were prepared for fluorescence in situ hybridization.

Main Outcome Measure(s): The disomy frequencies for chromosomes 8, 15, 18, and sex chromosomes were determined using fluorescence in situ hybridization.

Result(s): The mean frequencies of disomy for autosomes were 0.18% for chromosome 8, 0.06% for chromosome 15, 0.2% for chromosome 18, and 0.24% for gonosomes (XX, 0.04%; YY, 0.05%; XY, 0.15%).

Conclusion(s): This study confirms other previous evaluations on restricted numbers of patients. Our results seem to confirm a relative equiprobability of disomy frequencies concerning the different chromosomal pairs during male meiosis.