Recovery of artificially inseminated spermatozoa from the fallopian tubes of a woman undergoing total abdominal hysterectomy

Abstract

Investigation of the process of sperm transport within the human female reproductive tract must involve the recovery of spermatozoa from the oviducts of women post-coitum or insemination. This case report describes the insemination of a 40-year-old woman with her partner's semen and the subsequent recovery of spermatozoa from her Fallopian tubes, removed at hysterectomy, 2 days post-ovulation. The number of spermatozoa present within the tubes and their location was ascertained using a flushing technique and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The total number of spermatozoa present within the flushed tube was calculated to be 142, whilst the total number of spermatozoa calculated to be present within the scanned tube was 673. The proportional distribution of spermatozoa within the tubes was virtually identical by the two techniques used. The largest population of spermatozoa resided within the ampulla (66.1% SEM, 68.3% flush), and the smallest population resided within the intramural region (14.9% SEM, 13.4% flush).