Sperm acrosome reaction detection in intrauterine insemination

Abstract

To investigate the relationship between sperm acrosome reaction (AR) and the clinical pregnancy rate of intrauterine insemination (IUI). We detected the sperm spontaneous AR rate and Ca2+ ionophore A23187-induced AR rate in 128 patients who accepted IUI treatment, collected their clinical data and analysed the relationship between sperm AR rate and clinical pregnancy rate of IUI. There was no statistical difference between the spontaneous AR rates in the pregnant group and the non-pregnant group (7.7% vs. 7.0%, P>0.05), but there was statistical difference between the induced AR rates(51.9 % vs. 43.5%, P<0.05). There was statistical difference in the clinical pregnancy rate among the 3 IUI groups divided by induced AR rate (≤20.0%, 20.1%-49.9%, and ≥50.0%; 4.8% vs. 12.5% vs. 18.6%, P<0.05). The spontaneous AR rate has nothing to do with the clinical pregnancy rate of IUI, but the induced AR rate is associated with the clinical pregnancy rate of IUI.