Chemical constituents of human seminal plasma: relationship to fertility.

Eighteen different chemical constituents of seminal plasma from 52 patients in an in vitro fertilization (IVF) program were quantitated. The ejaculates were divided into "fertile" and "infertile" groups depending on whether the spermatozoa did or did not fertilize oocytes. Glycerylphosphorylcholine showed a significant difference between the two groups and was also significantly correlated with fertility, suggesting that GPC may influence the fertilizing ability of the spermatozoa. No such differences/correlations were found for the other constituents although a number of these components were lowest in the "infertile" group. In no case was the correlations between a seminal constituents and fertilization high enough to predict whether an ejaculate is fertile or infertile.