Sperm DNA fragmentation testing is on the right track

Dr. Oehninger’s elegant editorial dwelled on several unresolved issues in the context of sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) (1). Indeed, we appreciate and agree with his comments that development of better diagnostic methodology, evaluation of true functional consequences and understanding of oocyte repair capacity are important areas of research. It is widely believed that SDF is one of the major causes of male infertility and that DNA fragmentation can be caused by a variety of factors such as infection, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, smoking, drug use, or advanced age (2). Furthermore, SDF is linked to impaired fertilization, poor embryo quality, increased spontaneous abortion rates and reduced pregnancy rates after assisted reproduction (3).