Marking a significant leap forward, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Amity University have unveiled an AI-driven tool, Fertility Predictor, capable of assessing sperm retrieval success and predicting IVF outcomes in men with Y chromosome microdeletion (YCMD), a leading genetic cause of male infertility.
YCMD, a genetic defect impacting one in 10 infertile men, hampers sperm production, leaving assisted reproductive techniques like in-vitro fertilization (IVF) as their primary option for fatherhood. The AI tool predicts critical metrics, including fertilization, clinical pregnancy, and live birth rates, based solely on the type of microdeletion.
Dr. Deepak Modi, senior scientist at ICMR’s National Institute for Research in Reproductive and Child Health (NIRRCH) and the lead author of the study, said, “Fertility Predictor provides couples with accurate, numerical insights into their chances of clinical pregnancy and live birth, empowering them to make informed decisions.”
Developed over two years using data from more than 500 men with YCMD undergoing ART, the tool has an 80% accuracy rate, as confirmed through validation studies. However, Dr. Modi cautioned that male children born through IVF to fathers with YCMD will inherit the same defect, leading to infertility.
The findings were published last week in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics.
