title: Improved sperm concentration, motility, and fertilization rates following Ficoll treatment of sperm in a human in vitro fertilization program.
abstract: Duplicate sperm samples from the spouses of 54 patients admitted to an in vitro fertilization program were prepared by the swim-up and a simplified procedure using Ficoll. Cellsoft (CRYO Resources, New York, NY) sperm curvilinear velocities (microns/sec) and mean amplitude of lateral head displacement values (microns) equivalent to grade 1 and 2 visual sperm motility were significantly higher for Ficoll as compared with swim-up samples (P less than 0.01). Fertilization rates were significantly higher in the Ficoll as compared with the swim-up group for poor semen samples (grade less than 2: 58% versus 24%; P less than 0.01) and normal semen samples (grade greater than or equal to 2: 85% versus 78%; P less than 0.05). Ficoll sperm separation appears to be an excellent method of yielding increased fertilization rates in in vitro fertilization programs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, National University Hospital, Singapore.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bongso
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mok
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Teo
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ratnam
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000379:methods*; D005362:Ficoll / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013076:Sperm Count / Q000187:drug effects*; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D011134:Polysaccharides; D005362:Ficoll