Bioscientists from the University of Kent have called for clinical trials to further investigate how traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) may have a positive effect on sperm genetic abnormalities, and thereby influence the success rate of male infertility treatment.
A team led by Dr Darren Griffin, Reader in Genetics in the University’s Department of Biosciences, has already conducted research on six men who had very high levels of chromosome abnormalities in their sperm by following them through a course of TCM for their infertility. To the team’s surprise, each of the six men, all of whom were being treated at a Harley Street fertility clinic, showed a significant reduction in the proportion of sperm genetic abnormalities.
Dr Griffin says: ‘Genetic abnormality in sperm is quite a worry for men undergoing infertility treatment. That is, while all men have a proportion of their sperm that are genetically abnormal – maybe about five percent – many infertile men have an increased proportion – perhaps ten times as much, or more. Ordinarily, this would not present an issue in transmitting these genetic abnormalities to their children because their sperm count is usually so low that the chances of having children is reduced to negligible.