Discrimination between nonhyperactivated and classical hyperactivated motility patterns in human spermatozoa using computerized analysis.

The objective identification of human hyperactivated (HA) motility has been controversial. The present study defines new criteria for automatic sorting of all HA patterns that are consistent with the classical descriptions. Sperm from fertile men were prepared in Ham's F-10 medium. Based on the author's previously published slow-motion method, 342 sperm were selected that represented the non-HA, circling high-curvature, thrashing, star, and helical patterns. Automatic sorting for HA was achieved with the use of three criteria: linearity less than or equal to 65 and velocity greater than or equal to 100 microns/s and head displacement greater than or equal to 7.5 microns. Additional criteria were determined for identifying each HA class separately. Whether using the new or old method, the incidence of HA is significantly associated with multiple fertilization endpoints.