Performance of the postwash total motile sperm count as a predictor of pregnancy at the time of intrauterine insemination: a meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective: To assess the performance and clinical value of the postwash total motile sperm count (postwash TMC) as a test to predict intrauterine insemination (IUI) outcome.

Design: Meta-analysis of diagnostic tests.

Setting: Tertiary fertility center.

Patient(s): Patients undergoing IUI.

Intervention(s): None.

Result(s): We detected 16 studies that reported on postwash TMC at insemination and IUI outcome. Summary receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves indicated a reasonable predictive performance toward IUI outcome, and, at cut-off levels between 0.8 to 5 million motile spermatozoa, the postwash TMC provided a substantial discriminative performance. At these cut-off levels, the specificity of the postwash TMC, defined as the ability to predict failure to become pregnant, was as high as 100%; the sensitivity of the test, defined as the ability to predict pregnancy, was limited.

Conclusion(s): The postwash TMC at insemination could potentially be used in counseling patients for either IUI or IVF. However, to enable patient counseling before the start of treatment, further studies are needed to establish the accuracy of a postwash TMC during the fertility workup rather than at insemination.