Significant immunologic factors in male infertility.

A number of patients who suffer from involuntary infertility showed a sperm antibody in the blood serum as detected by 2 different methods of sperm agglutination. These techniques are the Kibrick method (gelatin agglutination test) and the F-D method (tube-slide agglutination test). With the former technique 9% of men and 18% of women from infertile couples had a positive result, while the latter technique revealed 5% of men and 15% of women with positive results. Such cases are termed immunological infertility. Several cases of necrospermia also showed sperm antibody activity. In vasectomized men it has been shown that 50 to 60% have sperm antibody during the first year postoperatively. To develop new methods for treatment of infertility immunosuppression by means of corticosteroid medication was applied. A 7-day regimen of 96 mg. per day methylprednisolone was studied. A drastic decrease of antibody level could be seen in some cases and the wives became pregnant. There has been approximately a 30% success rate in a group of 15 such couples.