Infertility Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Infertility, including details on male and female infertility, treatment, causes, pregnancy.

Effect of sperm treatment with exogenous platelet-activating factor on the outcome of intrauterine insemination.

Grigoriou O, Makrakis E, Konidaris S, Hassiakos D, Papadias K, Baka S, Creatsas G

Assisted Reproduction Unit, 2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Athens, Aretaieion Hospital, Athens, Greece.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of sperm treatment with exogenous platelet-activating factor (PAF) on IUI clinical pregnancy rate. DESIGN: Prospective randomized study. SETTING: Assisted Reproduction Unit, 2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Athens, Aretaieion Hospital, Athens, Greece. SUBJECT(S): Fifty-two couples with unexplained infertility, candidates for IUI. INTERVENTION(S): Sperm treatment with an exogenous mixture of PAF (final concentration, 10(-7) mol/L) in sperm-washing medium, direct swim-up technique of sperm preparation, a maximum of six IUI cycles per couple with or without PAF treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Clinical pregnancy rate (pregnancies confirmed by ultrasonography per hundred cycles). RESULT(S): The overall clinical pregnancy rate after a maximum of six IUI cycles was significantly higher when sperm was treated with PAF compared with the rate after the direct swim-up technique (23.07% vs. 7.92%). CONCLUSION(S): Treatment of sperm with exogenous PAF might improve the clinical outcome of IUI in cases of unexplained infertility.

Published 7 March 2005 in Fertil Steril, 83(3): 618-21.
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