Treatment of immunological infertility by sperm washing and intrauterine insemination.

The purpose of this study is to review our experience with sperm washing and intrauterine insemination as a method to reduce the presence of sperm antibodies in serum of couples with immunological infertility. Our results support the premise that sperm washing and intrauterine insemination can diminish the level of sperm-bound immunoglobulins and can improve the chance of conception in a selected group of couples with a diagnosis of immunological infertility. Patients with > 50% attachment of IgG, IgA, or both antisperm antibodies in this study had a greater chance of achieving a pregnancy. The high level of antibody attachment seen in our study appears to represent true immunological infertility and therefore is more likely to respond to therapy that reduces antibody attachment and bypasses cervical mucus.