Asymmetric peristaltic flow in a nonuniform channel: application to human reproduction

Abstract

Uterine peristalsis has an important role in the process of human conception. It is responsible for the fast transport of spermatozoa towards the fallopian tube and the transfer of the embryo to a successful implantation site in the upper part of the uterus. Fulfillment of these essential events within the time limits, first for fertilization and then for implantation, depends on concomitant intrauterine fluid motion induced by uterine wall motility. Intrauterine fluid transport in a sagittal cross-section of the uterus was simulated by a model of wall-induced fluid motion within a two-dimensional finite nonuniform channel. Cases of peristaltic transport resulting from asymmetric wall displacements were investigated by employing the lubrication theory. The results provide information on the flow field and possible trajectories by which a sperm or an embryo may be transported in the uterine cavity.