Immunological capacity and immune complexes of normal and abnormal pregnancy

Abstract

The antispermatozoal effect of the copper intrauterine contraceptive device (IUD) was investigated in an attempt to explain one aspect of its contraceptive mechanism. For this purpose, 42 specimens of normal semen were incubated in vitro with the metallic portion of two types of copper IUDs for 24 hours. Periodic determinations of sperm velocity and percentage of motility and viability were performed objectively with the aid of the multiple-exposure photography (MEP) method. No significant effect concerning these parameters was found when specimens were incubated continuously with either type of these IUDs at 23° C. On the contrary, sperm velocity and percentage of motility dropped markedly, and the number of dead spermatozoa increased reciprocally when specimens were incubated with those IUDs at 37° C for 4 hours. However, motility was almost unaffected in specimens that were incubated at 37° C with amounts of copper that exist usually within uterine cavities bearing this sort of IUD. The conclusion was that a copper IUD does not seem to exert its contraceptive effect by inhibiting spermatozoal activity.