[Crossed sperm-penetration-meter test. Prognostic value in male subfertility]

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Medicine
• Andrology
• Infertility Research

Context:

• Investigated 57 infertile couples with unexplained or therapy-resistant infertility.
• Compared sperm-penetration-meter-test (SPM-test) results with postcoital tests (PCTs).
• Assessed correlation between SPM-test outcomes and infertility duration, and male/female diagnoses.

Purpose:

• To evaluate the diagnostic utility of the SPM-test in infertile couples.
• To determine the relationship between sperm motility and cervical mucus penetration.
• To ascertain if SPM-test results correlate with gynecological findings.

Summary:

• SPM-tests and PCTs showed concordant results in only 63% of cases, highlighting limitations of PCTs.
• Spermatozoa's ability to penetrate cervical mucus directly correlated with the concentration of progressively motile sperm.
• No correlation was found between SPM-test results and gynecological findings, suggesting a focus on sperm-mucus interaction.

Impact:

• The SPM-test can enhance primary infertility diagnoses, particularly in cases of "unknown infertility".
• Identifies disturbed sperm-mucus interaction as a potential cause of infertility.
• Provides a more objective assessment of male fertility potential in relation to conception barriers.