Antisperm antibodies in young oral contraceptive users

Thirty-five young oral contraceptive users (group A) and twenty-four non-users (group B) of comparable age and background were screened for the presence of serum antisperm antibodies, antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis and vaginal infections. Twenty-three per cent (8/35) of the oral contraceptive users were found to have significant titers of antisperm antibodies as compared to none in the non-user group (p less than 0.05). In 17% of group A patients (6/35) the presence of antisperm antibodies coincided with the presence of serum antibodies to chlamydia and vaginal candidiasis. One of these patients had E. coli in her vaginal culture in addition to the serum antichlamydia antibodies. The other two patients harboring serum antisperm antibodies were free of any sign of vaginal infection. A significant correlation (r = 0.7038, p less than 0.0000005) was found between the presence of antisperm antibodies and antichlamydia antibodies. There appears to be an increased frequency of serum antisperm antibodies in oral contraceptive users. This finding coincides with infections or colonizations with potential pathogens of the lower genital tract.