Human sperm velocity and postinsemination cervical mucus test in the evaluation of the infertile couple

Abstract

Homologous artificial insemination (AIH) followed by postinsemination cervical mucus test (PIT) was performed in 100 couples in a prospective study to evaluate suspected cervical or male factor infertility. A portion of the ejaculate was submitted for standard semen analysis as well as turbidimetric analysis of sperm velocity. In a review of 333 cases evaluated for infertility, the average sperm velocity in a normal semen analysis was 96.5 mu/sec, for those with normal postcoital test (PCT) 96.6 mu/sec, and in those that established a pregnancy 91.6 mu/sec. These are significantly higher than the values obtained for abnormal semen analysis and abnormal PCT (64.6 and 63.6 mu/sec, respectively; p less than 0.001). Patients with normal PIT (WHO criteria for normal PCT consisting of greater than or equal to 7 motile sperm/hpf) had sperm velocity of 87 mu/sec compared to velocities of 46 mu/sec for abnormal PIT (p less than 0.001). Four of the five patients with abnormal PIT (in spite of normal semen analysis and normal cervical mucus) had sperm velocities less than 75 mu/sec. Likewise, all 8 patients who had normal PIT in spite of abnormal semen analysis had sperm velocities greater than 75 mu/sec, even though the sperm motility was below normal in 5 of them. Sperm velocity is a more sensitive indicator of sperm function when compared to standard semen analysis results.