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/
