Human sperm fertility testing : comparison among conventional semen analysis, zona-free hamster egg penetration assay and a simple in vitro assay mehtod

Abstract

To search for a simple, convenient, inexpensive and accurate method to detect male infertility, we have developed an in vitro test using simple incubation method. The basic for this test is to observe sperm motility with forward progression in an 8-h incubation with 50 ul TALP medium gasses with 5% CO(2). Motility of spermatozoa is expressed in percent motility rate from 0% (no motile spermatozoa) to 100% (all spermatozoa motile) and is estimated to the nearest 10%. Five to ten microscope fields are examined at x50 and x600 in each of two wet smears. We have compared the results using these simple techniques to the conventional semen analysis and zona-free hamster egg penetration assay in studying three groups of subjects. Group A: Samples were obtained from fertile males (fathers less than 3 years back) Group B: Samples were from men undergoing investigation for involuntary infertility but demonstrated normal values from semen analysis. Group C: Samples were from infertile men with abnormal profiles of semen analysis. The clinical data from all 3 group subjects were shown to be similar. Interestingly, a difference in motility profile between sperm specimens from fertile men and sperm from infertile with normal or abnormal semen analysis was found in an 8-h in vitro test whereas zona-free hamster egg penetration assay could not detect these differences. This study demonstrates that we have developed a simple, convenient inexpensive and accurate technique to detect male infertility. This test is far superior to zona-free hamster egg penetration assay and conventional semen analysis.