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Sperm antibody tests
Immunologic factors may play a role in
infertility, with either the female producing antibodies to the
male’s sperm in her cervical mucus, or the male producing
antibodies to his own sperm. Immunological factors are often
analysed when other causes for infertility have been ruled out.
They have been found to be present in up to 40% of couples with
unexplained infertility. Immunological factors may be a cause of
infertility when:- Sperm are absent or immotile in the
postcoital test, but normal in semen analysis.
- Sperm show a shaking movement in the
postcoital test.
- Infertility persists after a vasectomy
reversal.
- Spontaneous sperm agglutination (clumping)
occurs in semen analysis.
- There is a long-standing history of
unexplained infertility.
The following table summarises tests that are
available to detect the presence of antisperm
antibodies.
| Tests for
detecting antisperm antibodies | | Test | Feature | | Kibrick test | Oldest and easiest to administer
Must be performed carefully to prevent false positive
results | | Mixed agglutination
test | Uses human Rh-positive red blood
cells in mixture with other factors Can detect antisperm IgG and
IgA antibodies Studies indicate it may be as accurate as immunobead
binding | | Sperm-panning
test | May be an appropriate screening
test, but does not provide information for individual sperm
cells | | Immunobead
binding | Most specific test Detects
antisperm antibodies in semen and cervical mucus Subclass specific
(IgM, IgG, IgA) Can determine regional specificity and proportion
of antibody-bound sperm |
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