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.

Improving the predictive value of the hypoosmotic swelling test in humans.

Martini AC, Molina RI, Estofán D, Tissera A, Ruiz RD, de Cuneo MF

Instituto de Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba, Argentina.

Using a combined hypoosmotic swelling-eosin (HOS-E) technique in human semen samples, we evaluated the frequency of dead swollen spermatozoa (dHOS) after 10 and 30 minutes of incubation, the correlation between total HOS-reactive (tHOS) and viable HOS-reactive (vHOS) spermatozoa with other seminal parameters, and the possibility that dead spermatozoa react to HOS. We obtained the following results: [1] some dead spermatozoa swell under hypoosmotic conditions and [2] HOS-E results correlate strongly with other seminal parameters. We recommend that HOS be performed after 10 minutes of incubation because [1] the increase in the incubation time enhances the percentage of dHOS, [2] there are no differences in vHOS percentages between 10 and 30 minutes, and [3] correlation coefficients between vHOS and tHOS with other parameters are very similar at 10 or 30 minutes of incubation.

Published 8 June 2006 in Fertil Steril, 85(6): 1840-2.
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