Fertilization failure and dysfunctions as possible causes for human idiopathic infertility.
Consideration of the most common currently practiced laboratory assays for human spermatozoal fertility are discussed, with reference to the relevance of such assays to success or failure in human in vitro fertilization (IVF). Such IVF therapy should be the definitive challenge for human spermatozoal fertilization ability. However, when fertilization fails, is polyspermic, or is suboptimal, then questions concerning the step or steps in the process of fertilization which are dysfunctional remain unanswered. Quite possibly new assays need to be devised to address these problems, while in the meantime our present laboratory assay systems need to be improved to discern those defects in fertilization which operate in many cases of human idiopathic infertility.
Chan
S Y
SY
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048.
Tucker
M J
MJ
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005306:Fertilization / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions / Q000502:physiology