The effect of paternal age on shared recipient oocyte donation (OD) cycles

Abstract

ObjectiveShared OD cycles are an ideal model to study the effect of paternal age, since one woman's oocytes are distributed between two couples, each with distinct male partner ages. This study's objective is to determine whether paternal age affects OD outcomes.DesignRetrospective cohort study.Materials and methods332 pairs of recipient couples undergoing shared OD cycles were studied. All 664 couples were initially individually stratified by paternal age (<40, 40-49, ≥50), to compare OD cycle characteristics, semen parameters, implantation rates (IR), and pregnancy rates. Paired analysis was then performed in a subset of shared OD cycles with one male partner ≥50 years old and the other <50, and with one male partner ≥ 50 and the other ≤40. Statistical analyses included one-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, Wilcoxon, and Chi-square tests.ResultsTabled 1OD Cycle Characteristics by Paternal Age<4040-49≥50P-valueN=17639593Recipient age39.3±5.343.3±2.844.8±2.6<.001# oocytes10.7±4.110.2±4.310.1±3.9NS2PN7.4±3.56.9±3.46.6±2.6NSDay 3 IR0.39±0.40.4±0.40.4±0.4NSDay 5 IR0.57±0.40.6±0.40.67±0.4NSTPR (%)73.170.172.2NSLBR (%)50.553.456.3NS Open table in a new tab ConclusionIn shared OD cycles, increased male age is associated with impaired semen parameters. However, this unique study design, which utilizes a paired analysis of younger and older men that share the same oocyte donor, demonstrates that paternal age does not appear to significantly affect pregnancy outcomes. ObjectiveShared OD cycles are an ideal model to study the effect of paternal age, since one woman's oocytes are distributed between two couples, each with distinct male partner ages. This study's objective is to determine whether paternal age affects OD outcomes. Shared OD cycles are an ideal model to study the effect of paternal age, since one woman's oocytes are distributed between two couples, each with distinct male partner ages. This study's objective is to determine whether paternal age affects OD outcomes. DesignRetrospective cohort study. Retrospective cohort study. Materials and methods332 pairs of recipient couples undergoing shared OD cycles were studied. All 664 couples were initially individually stratified by paternal age (<40, 40-49, ≥50), to compare OD cycle characteristics, semen parameters, implantation rates (IR), and pregnancy rates. Paired analysis was then performed in a subset of shared OD cycles with one male partner ≥50 years old and the other <50, and with one male partner ≥ 50 and the other ≤40. Statistical analyses included one-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, Wilcoxon, and Chi-square tests. 332 pairs of recipient couples undergoing shared OD cycles were studied. All 664 couples were initially individually stratified by paternal age (<40, 40-49, ≥50), to compare OD cycle characteristics, semen parameters, implantation rates (IR), and pregnancy rates. Paired analysis was then performed in a subset of shared OD cycles with one male partner ≥50 years old and the other <50, and with one male partner ≥ 50 and the other ≤40. Statistical analyses included one-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, Wilcoxon, and Chi-square tests. ResultsTabled 1OD Cycle Characteristics by Paternal Age<4040-49≥50P-valueN=17639593Recipient age39.3±5.343.3±2.844.8±2.6<.001# oocytes10.7±4.110.2±4.310.1±3.9NS2PN7.4±3.56.9±3.46.6±2.6NSDay 3 IR0.39±0.40.4±0.40.4±0.4NSDay 5 IR0.57±0.40.6±0.40.67±0.4NSTPR (%)73.170.172.2NSLBR (%)50.553.456.3NS Open table in a new tab ConclusionIn shared OD cycles, increased male age is associated with impaired semen parameters. However, this unique study design, which utilizes a paired analysis of younger and older men that share the same oocyte donor, demonstrates that paternal age does not appear to significantly affect pregnancy outcomes. In shared OD cycles, increased male age is associated with impaired semen parameters. However, this unique study design, which utilizes a paired analysis of younger and older men that share the same oocyte donor, demonstrates that paternal age does not appear to significantly affect pregnancy outcomes.