title: Treatment of sperm with subnormal host scores with chymotrypsin/viable pregnancy after IUI.
abstract: Men with low hypoosmotic swelling test (HOST) scores (<50%) rarely achieve a pregnancy with intercourse or conventional intrauterine insemination (IUI) or even IVF. The defect seems to be related to a toxic factor attached to the sperm that can be transferred to the zona pellucida, which ultimately interferes with implantation. A small case series showed optimistic pregnancy outcome with treatment of the sperm with low HOST scores with chymotrypsin. However, the live pregnancy rate in 90 subsequent IUI cycles in men whose low HOST scores were improved by chymotrypsin was only 3.3%. IVF with ICSI remains the only highly effective treatment of this disorder.
authors.affiliation: University of Medicine/Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Camden, Cooper Hospital/Univeristy Medical Center, Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology, New Jersey, USA.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Check
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kiefer
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Check
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hourani
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Long
mesh_terms: D002918:Chymotrypsin / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007317:Insemination, Artificial, Homologous / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009845:Oligospermia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D013076:Sperm Count; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D002918:Chymotrypsin