Post Date December, 02 2023
Pregnancy is a complex physiological process. It is well known that there are several prerequisites for successful pregnancy: a woman can discharge normal eggs, and a man's semen is normal and contains normal sperm; Eggs and sperm can meet and combine within the fallopian tube; The fertilized egg can be successfully implanted in the endometrium.
There are many factors contributing to infertility, including egg and sperm rejection. Sometimes, couples of childbearing age who have no physical problems but are unable to conceive for unknown reasons can consider whether sperm is being rejected. In medicine, difficulty in conceiving due to sperm and egg rejection is known as "immune infertility.".
1、 Immune infertility! What's the situation?
"If a couple is physically normal, cohabiting for more than a year, having normal sexual activity, and not using any contraceptive measures, but are delayed in becoming pregnant, it is important to consider whether it is because sperm and eggs are" at odds ", as it may be immune infertility.".
Immune infertility accounts for about a portion of infertility patients, including various types of immune infertility such as antisperm antibodies, anti endometrial antibodies, and anti egg antibodies. "The most common clinical condition is immune infertility caused by the production of antisperm antibodies, and this condition can occur in both men and women.".
A family doesn't know a family, and sperm and eggs repel each other
To understand why sperm and eggs repel each other, it is necessary to understand a proper term, namely antisperm antibody (AsAb). AsAb is a complex pathological product, the exact cause of which is not yet fully understood, but it can occur in both men and women.
The immune function of the human body is performed by billions of different lymphocytes. Lymphocytes activated by specific antigens produce two different immune responses, namely, humoral and cellular immune responses. Once a foreign body invades a certain part of the body, the lymphocytes act like hundreds of millions of armed soldiers, immediately mobilizing troops, with the cooperation of white blood cells, macrophages, etc., until the invading enemy is eliminated.
Under normal circumstances, lymphocytes have the ability to distinguish between their own tissues and foreign bodies. However, in a pathological state, the immune recognition function is misjudged or cannot be recognized by the immune system due to some barrier isolation. Anti sperm antibodies (AsAb) are products of special immunity. If anti sperm antibodies are positive, they can easily lead to "accidental killing" of sperm.
Both women and men may produce antisperm antibodies under special circumstances. Once it reacts positively, sperm will suffer a huge disaster, making it difficult to meet the conditions for normal pregnancy, leading to infertility.
2、 Mr. Sperm Blocked: Encountered "Female Anti sperm Antibodies"
Miss Zhu and her husband have deep feelings, and their sexual lives are also harmonious. Before marriage, both of them had undergone a medical examination and everything was normal. However, after more than two years of marriage, Miss Zhu was almost crazy about thinking about the child, but she was delayed in conceiving it. After multiple examinations, the doctor found that Miss Zhu was positive for anti sperm antibodies, and she was diagnosed as "immune infertility.".
[Uncover the Secret: Cause Analysis]
For women, the sperm and seminal plasma of men are clearly a foreign body. "Under normal circumstances, women do not produce antisperm antibodies, but only under certain circumstances, such as inflammation and damage to the female reproductive tract, antibodies can also be produced in women's serum and cervical mucus.". At this point, macrophages in the female reproductive tract, especially in the uterus, can cause an immune response and "defend" sperm that has penetrated the cervix to become inactive, agglomerate, or die.
Female patients with positive antisperm often have genital system inflammation such as endometritis, vaginitis, and salpingitis before onset. Lymphatic immunotherapy can be used to treat this condition. "If all the sperm entering a woman's body is eliminated, how can we successfully complete our fertility plan?"!
3、 Sperm gentleman puts on protective film: "Male antisperm antibody"
Jamin and Xiaoyin have been married for three years and have never had children. They have had to turn to the infertility department of the hospital. After several semen tests, Jamin's indicators were completely normal. The doctor then performs immunological tests on both sides' blood, male semen, and female cervical mucus. Finally, the doctor told Jamin that there was an anti sperm antibody in his semen and serum, which may be the cause of their infertility.
[Uncover the Secret: Cause Analysis]
It is also important for men to produce anti sperm antibodies themselves. Why do sperm and sperm "kill each other" in the same body? In short, it is "self-defense" generated by men themselves.
Under normal circumstances, there is a strong immune barrier between the testicles and the male reproductive tract, making it impossible for sperm to contact the immune system of their own body, so immune reactions rarely occur.
If AsAb is positive, it can be determined that sperm has crossed the barrier and "crossed fire" with their own immune system. This situation is also caused by disease. For example, inflammation of the vas deferens or other causes of obstruction can cause sperm to escape from orbit and overflow. This antigen of sperm contacts the immune system of the body, producing AsAb by itself, resulting in sperm aggregation, immobilization, and loss of due vitality, making it difficult to complete the historical mission of combining with the egg.
Anti sperm antibodies can cause serious damage to sperm, which can damage sperm movement, inactivate sperm, hinder sperm egg binding, and lead to infertility in both men and women. "Even if fertilization is difficult to achieve, sperm antigens can be carried on early embryos, which may cause miscarriage and cause the fertilized egg to die during development due to the effect of antibodies.". Therefore, especially those infertile couples with unknown causes should be checked for the presence of antisperm antibodies.
