Serum Antisperm Antibodies in Fertile and Infertile Individuals

background: presence of antisperm antibodies (asas) ininfertility and their adverse effects on fertility is a matter ofcontroversy. the aims of this study were to determine the percentageof antibody positive sperms and rate of asa positivesera in both fertile and infertile men and women, and to findthe association between these antibodies and infertility.methods: this study consisted of 29 fertile and 60 infertilemen and women. the serum immunoglobulin (ig) m, g, and aantisperm antibodies were evaluated after incubation of the serawith normal and high-quality fresh sperm from healthy donors.the percentage of spermatozoa positive for igm, igg, and igaantibodies and the rate of antisperm antibody positive sera infertile and infertile groups were measured by flow cytometry.results: mean percentage of antibody positive sperms in fertileand infertile groups showed no significant differences (allp>0.05). the rate of asa positive sera in fertile and infertileindividuals showed no significant differences (all p>0.05).there were no significant differences between the mean percentageof antibody positive sperms and the rate of asa positivesera in fertile and infertile men and women (all p>0.05).conclusions: presence of asas in the serum may not be associatedwith infertility. although antisperm antibodies mayinterfere with fertility, not all types of asas can associatewith infertility. current tests cannot differentiate the asasthat interfere with infertility from those that do not, becausethe antigenic specificities of these asas are not known. theantigens of the infertility-related asas must be characterizedto allow an accurate detection for individuals with asas.iran j med sci 2008; 33(2): 88-93.