Sperm migration at different stages of the menstrual cycle

Sperm migration to the upper genital tract was studied in 15 volunteers who were to be surgically sterilized to see if sperm migration to the upper genital tract is consistent during different stages of the menstrual cycle. Five subjects underwent surgery during the midproliferative phase, five during the periovulatory period and five during the secretory phase. The stage of the cycle was determined by endometrial and ovarian biopsy at the time of surgery. Volunteers had a single coitus 5-12 h before surgery, confirmed by Sims-Huhner test. Sperm were found in the uterus and at least one oviduct in all five subjects studied during the periovulatory phase, and only in two of the five cases undergoing surgery during either of the other phases. A good correlation was also observed between presence and number of sperm in the upper genital tract and quality of Sims-Huhner test. However, neither the cycle stage nor the postcoital test had an absolute prognostic value over sperm migration.