Predictive value of in-vitro sperm function tests in the context of an AID service

Abstract

Our inability to predict the fertilizing potential of an ejaculate in vivo is central to the dilemmas which confront clinical andrologists. In this paper, we examine the ability of laboratory tests of sperm function to predict the fertilizing ability of an ejaculate in vivo, in the context of a retrospective analysis of cryostored semen used in an AID programme. Samples were subjected to a conventional semen analysis, measurement of ATP levels, zona-free hamster oocyte penetration testing and examination of sperm movement characteristics by time-exposure photography. Using a multivariate discriminant analysis, we were able to distinguish successful from unsuccessful ejaculates with an overall accuracy of 81.25% (P = 0.0191) based upon data derived from the conventional semen profile, hamster oocyte penetration and the assessment of sperm movement.