Evaluation of the importance of Chlamydia T. and/or Mycoplasma H. and/or Ureaplasma U. genital infections and of antisperm antibodies in couples affected by muco-semen incompatibility and in couples with unexplained infertility.

Abstract

Both the male and female partners of 28 couples with muco-semen incompatibility and of 8 couples with unexplained infertility were examined for the presence of genital infections by Chlamydia T. and/or Mycoplasma H. and/or Ureaplasma U. (CMU infections), and for topical and serum antisperm antibodies (AS-abs). The presence of other common genital infections, and for Candida A. and Trichomonas had previously been excluded in all the subjects; all the female partners presented normal hysterosalpingographs, regular ovulatory function and cervical score > or = 10. The main cause of the muco-semen incompatibility was dysspermia (35.7%), either associated or not with male CMU infections, followed by female CMU infections (21.4%), male CMU infections without dysspermia (3.6%), and the presence of AS-abs in the mucus (3.6%) and in the semen (3.6%); in 32.6% of the cases no plausible explanation was found for muco-semen incompatibility. In 42.8% CMU infections were implicated in the muco-semen incompatibility; furthermore, there was associated dysspermia in 50% of the cases. AS-abs were found in the mucus or in the serum of 70% of the patients with CMU infections, while this figure went down to 34.6% in subjects not affected by such infections. None of the patients with CMU infections showed AS-abs either in the semen and/or in the serum. AS-abs were found in the serum of 25% of the female patients with so-called "unexplained" infertility. CMU infections are important for the determination of muco-semen incompatibility, both with and without dyspermia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)