Anti-sperm antibodies

Many studies confirm that antibodies produced on sperm surface and female cervical mucus (or in blood, in both sexes) may interfere with sperm motility and their interaction with oocytes. This condition is present in about 10% of instances of unexplained male infertility (idiopathic) and in almost 25-40% of cases of involuntary infertility without apparent cause.
Immunological infertility may be of a pair, if the sperm antibodies are present in the female cervical mucus or in male serum.

In male immunological infertility, instead, anti-sperm antibodies stick to the head and tail of the sperm: in both cases, we are seeing a reduced motility of the same. In case the tie interests the head, there may be another problem in preventing the crossing of the pellucida area, making critical or impossible fertilization. In men who are subjected to vasostomy, a percentage of up to 70% of positivity is reached.
In general, the presence of antisperm antibodies is due to the contact between the blood and the male germ cells. Here are the most common causes: Infection, cryptorchidism (testicle considered), testicular torsion, accidental testicle trauma, testicular biopsy, testicular cancer, varicocele, congenital absence of the deferent canal, self-inflicted diseases.