Detecting semen antisperm antibodies in the clinical laboratory

Although antisperm antibodies are associated with infertility, many hospital laboratories do not test for these antibodies. This study included 520 males who were referred for infertility evaluation. Semen samples from all patients were tested for antisperm antibodies by using the mixed antiglobulin reaction and immunobead binding tests. These results were correlated with the findings of semen analyses, postcoital tests, and sperm penetration assays. Eighty-eight men (16.9%) tested positive for IgG, IgA, or IgM antisperm antibodies. More samples tested positive for IgG antibodies by the mixed antiglobulin reaction than by the immunobead test (n = 71 vs n = 42); 57 samples tested IgA positive. Both methods showed good reproducibility (97.6%). Antibody-positive males had a higher incidence of abnormal semen analyses (92% vs 74%) and other immune-related fertility test results (94.2% vs 38.4%). The presence of antisperm antibodies correlates with other abnormal semen parameters. Testing for these antibodies should be included in an infertility evaluation and could be readily implemented in a clinical laboratory.