Processed total motile sperm count correlates with pregnancy outcome after intrauterine insemination

To determine the impact of processed total motile sperm (PTMS) count on pregnancy after partner intrauterine insemination (IUI). IUI is generally attempted before proceeding to more expensive and invasive assisted-reproductive techniques such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Several semen parameters have been shown to correlate with IUI outcome and may be useful when counseling couples.

Four hundred thirty-eight couples with diverse causes of infertility underwent 1114 cycles of husband IUI during a 39-month period. The clinical and semen parameters were recorded for each couple and each insemination. The parameters were compared between those couples who achieved a pregnancy and those who did not.

The total number of pregnancies was 120, resulting in a pregnancy rate per cycle of 10.8% and a couple pregnancy rate of 27.4%. On multivariable logistic regression analysis, the PTMS count was independently associated with fertility after IUI (P = 0.0014). Moreover, the pregnancy rate was significantly lower for couples with less than 10 million PTMS (P <0.05).

The results of this study have demonstrated that the PTMS count independently predicts success with IUI. Cycles with less than 10 million total motile sperm are significantly less likely to result in a pregnancy. If cause-specific therapy has failed, alternatives to IUI should be considered for couples when the PTMS count is less than 10 million.