Improving Fertility Treatment Outcomes with α-Chymotrypsin: A Breakthrough for Highly Viscous Semen Samples

Improving Fertility Treatment Outcomes with α-Chymotrypsin: A Breakthrough for Highly Viscous Semen Samples

When it comes to fertility treatment success, sperm quality matters—especially motility and total motile sperm count (TMC). One common barrier? Semen hyperviscosity (SHV), affecting up to 29% of men. SHV can severely limit sperm recovery during preparation for intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF).

A recent clinical study led by researchers at University Hospitals Fertility Center and published in Reproductive Medicine shows promising results using α-chymotrypsin to overcome this challenge.

By adding a small amount of α-chymotrypsin to highly viscous semen samples, researchers achieved:

  • 2x increase in TMC (22.2M vs. 11.6M)
  • Over 2x increase in motile sperm recovery rate (38.9% vs. 16.2%)

Among men with severely low sperm counts (<10M TMC), the gains were even more striking:

  • Recovery rate jumped from 10.0% to 43.0%
  • TMC increased nearly 5x (1.21M to 5.89M)

Importantly, α-chymotrypsin treatment did not compromise IVF outcomes. Fertilization rates (87.8%) and usable blastocyst rates (56.4%) remained comparable to those from untreated samples.

This breakthrough offers new hope for men with viscous or low-volume semen who previously faced limited fertility options. By improving sperm recovery without compromising downstream outcomes, α-chymotrypsin may become a vital tool in andrology labs and fertility clinics worldwide.

Download the full case study here: https://mes-global.com/support/medical-electronic-systems-studies-and-publications/

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