Analysis of the agglutination of sperm

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In addition to basic seminal parameters such as concentration, mobility and sperm morphology, other characteristics that may influence male fertility, such as sperm agglutination, are studied in the semen analysis.

Below you have an index with all the points that we will discuss in this article.

Index

Analysis of sperm agglutination

What is sperm agglutination?

During the microscopic analysis of the spermiogram it is observed if there are mobile sperm adhered to each other.

Based on this seminal parameter, the semen study report should indicate if the sample presents:

  • Positive agglutination
  • Negative agglutination

The most common is that the union occurs in the head or neck (middle piece) but can also occur agglutination in the tail. There are also mixed agglutination, head-tail, head-neck or neck-tail.



Degrees of agglutination

There are other professionals who are more specific and distinguish between different degrees of agglutination depending on the percentage of adhered sperm that we observe during the semen analysis:

Grade 0 no clusters of attached sperm are found. Grade 1 there are certain groups with agglutination but they do not represent more than 10% of the total sperm of the semen sample. Grade 2 More than 30% of the sperm are forming sperm agglutination. Grade 3 more than 50 % of sperm are adhered. Adhesion of sperm

A high percentage of agglutination can be a cause of infertility, since the adhesion of spermatozoa hinders its progressive movement and therefore prevents fertilization. If the sperm do not advance through the female reproductive tract, they will not be able to find the egg and pregnancy will not occur.

Agglutination or aggregation?

It is important to differentiate between agglutination and sperm aggregation since the effect on fertility is not the same.

Aggregates of spermatozoa and other cells

When the specialist observes a group of attached sperm, he / she puts special attention in checking if the spermatozoa present movement.

If the adhered sperm move, we talk about sperm agglutination. If, on the other hand, the sperm attached to each other are immobile, it is about sperm aggregation.

In the cases of sperm aggregation it is common to appreciate other cell types besides the spermatozoa as immature cells, detritus, etc.

Causes

The agglutination suggests the presence of antibodies in the ejaculate. These molecules recognize the membranes of sperm and bind to them forming the aggregates. This can lead to so-called immunological sterility.

Although this is usually the most common cause, there are other possibilities:

  • Very high concentration of sperm in the ejaculate.
  • Changes in the semen pH due to problems in the accessory glands due to inflammatory or infectious processes).
  • Increase in body temperature during febrile processes.
  • Presence of large numbers of epithelial or squamous cells.
  • Certain types of bacteria can cause agglutination in semen.

seminogram in Balears(Spain)

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