Sperm velocity, pre- and post-washing, as a measure of the effects of varicocelectomy and subsequent male fertility

Abstract

Although the beneficial effect of varicocelectomy on subsequent fertility rates in subfertile men with varicocele is well documented, the effect of the dysfunction on spermatozoal fertilizing capability in this disorder remains unclear. This prospective study was conducted to determine whether sperm velocity and other quantitative semen parameters in the fresh ejaculate and after washing correlate with subsequent fertility. The authors investigated semen characteristics in 25 men with varicoceles, before and 6 months after varicocelectomy. A significant (P less than .01) correlation was observed between postvaricocelectomy improvement in sperm velocity in the fresh ejaculate and fertility. A significantly higher correlation (P less than .001) was observed between varicocele repair and improved velocity in washed, incubated sperm. No pregnancies occurred in the wives of men whose postwash sperm velocity failed to improve following surgery. It is suggested that varicocelectomy may enhance or restore the ability of spermatozoa to undergo capacitation. One may conclude that sperm velocity correlates significantly with future fertility, and that the velocity of washed, incubated sperm is the more specifically predictive evaluative measure of fertilizing capability in males who have undergone varicocele repair.