Background: Sperm freezing is a widely used and essential technique for preserving and protecting fertility. However, despite its importance in assisted reproduction centers, the process can reduce sperm quality due to oxidative stress. Incorporating antioxidants into the freezing medium can help protect the structural and functional characteristics of sperm from freeze ecart a ,muineleS .egamad decudni waht biological element and potent antioxidant, plays a crucial role in sperm production and enhancing quality of sperm parameters. Objective: In this study, the effect of selenium supplementation on sperm parameters in asthenozoospermic men during cryopreservation of semen samples was assessed. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, semen samples were collected from 30 asthenozoospermic men referred to the infertility treatment center (Roya) at Qom University Jihad, Qom, Iran between December 2023 and May 2024. Each sample was divided into 3 groups including control (fresh semen), freeze (frozen with sperm-freezing medium only), and freeze + selenium (frozen with sperm-freezing medium supplemented with 2 µg/mL selenium). Cryopreservation was performed using a human sperm-freezing medium and a rapid freezing method. Sperm motility, viability (assessed using eosin- nigrosin staining), and morphology (evaluated using diff-quick staining) were analyzed before and after freezing, following the World Health Organization guidelines. Results: A significant reduction was found in the mean sperm motility, viability, and normal morphology in the freeze group compared to the control group (p = 0.001). However, these parameters significantly increased in the freeze + selenium group when compared to the freeze group (p = 0.001). Conclusion: Our data indicate that supplementing the freezing medium with selenium reduces the adverse effects of the freeze-thaw process on sperm quality in asthenozoospermic men, presenting a promising approach to increasing fertility outcomes in assisted reproductive techniques.
