Treatment of sperm oxidative stress

Oxidative damage to sperm, with a reduction in fertility and the potential for adverse health consequences for the resulting child, occurs when the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by sperm and seminal leukocytes exceeds the neutralization capacity of protective antioxidants contained within seminal plasma, epididymal secretions, and sperm. In order to optimize sperm health and reproductive outcomes, oxidative stress (OS) should be minimized by a combination of improvements in the patient’s lifestyle, modification of disease processes known to aggravate oxidative attack, plus the use of antioxidant supplements. In the in vitro fertilization laboratory, careful handling of sperm to minimize the production of ROS while maximizing antioxidant protection is the key to optimal sperm health. This chapter will discuss in detail how clinicians can recognize and manage the key sources of OS, plus practical ways in which sperm health can be optimized by the clinical scientist (embryologist) in the laboratory.