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Immune Infertility pp 235–245Cite as

Treatment Modalities for Antisperm Antibodies-Mediated Immune Infertility

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Abstract

Immune infertility due to antisperm antibodies is an important cause of infertility in humans. The incidence of ASA in infertile couples is 9–36 % depending on the reporting center. ASA directed against the fertilization-related antigens are more relevant to infertility than the immunoglobulin binding to sperm antigens that do not play a role in fertility. Several methods have been reported for treatment of immune infertility. These include immunosuppressive therapies using corticosteroids or cyclosporine; assisted reproductive technologies such as intrauterine insemination, gamete intrafallopian transfer, in vitro fertilization, and intracytoplasmic sperm injection; and laboratory techniques such as sperm washing, immunomagnetic sperm separation, proteolytic enzyme treatment, and use of immunobeads. Some of these available techniques have side effects, and others are invasive and expensive, with low efficacy, and provide conflicting results. Presently, antisperm antibodies-mediated immune infertility is primarily treated in the clinics using the assisted reproductive technologies. Recent findings on delineating sperm antigens that have a role in fertilization/fertility may provide novel modalities for treatment which will be less invasive and expensive.

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Acknowledgment

This work was supported in part by a NIH grant to RKN. The excellent typing and editorial assistance provided by Carly Laure, B.S. is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West Virginia University, School of Medicine, 2085 Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center North, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA

    Rajesh K. Naz PhD

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  1. Rajesh K. Naz PhD
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Correspondence to Rajesh K. Naz PhD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital, Philipp University, Marburg, Germany

    Walter K.H. Krause

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, West Virgina University, Morgantown, USA

    Rajesh K. Naz

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Naz, R.K. (2017). Treatment Modalities for Antisperm Antibodies-Mediated Immune Infertility. In: Krause, W., Naz, R. (eds) Immune Infertility. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40788-3_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40788-3_16

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-40786-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-40788-3

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