Antisperm antibodies and fertility association

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the relation between antisperm antibodies (ASA) and human fertility by reviewing the scientific literature of the last 45 years.

Methods: We carried out a review of scientific literature about antisperm antibodies and infertility published in spanish or english in databases as Pubmed, Medline, Scielo, some books and another gray literature include information related to this review and that is published in the last 45 years.

Summary of evidence: Infertile couples suffer infertility by immunological mechanisms mainly by the presence of antisperm antibodies ASA in blood, semen or cervicovaginal secretions; the formation of ASA in men and women may be associated with disturbance in immunomodulatory mechanisms that result in functional impairment of sperm and thus its inability to fertilize the oocyte.

Conclusion: Immunological infertility caused by ASA is the result of interference of these antibodies in various stages of fertilization process, inhibiting the ability of interaction between sperm and oocyte.

Keywords: Anticuerpos antiespermatozoides; Antisperm antibodies; Autoimmunity; Autoinmunidad; Espermatozoide; Gamete interaction; Immune infertility; Inmunoinfertilidad; Interacción intergametos; Reproducción; Reproduction; Spermatozoa.