Now, synthetic sperms will treat male infertility

Male infertility is a big problem and often under-diagnosed. But now, couples who want a child despite being affected by infertility issues can take advantage of this new synthetic version of sperm-originated protein called PAWP.

In a study published in the FASEB Journal, researchers developed a method for treating male infertility with the help of synthetic version of the sperm-originated protein that itself is enough and extremely essential to initiate the fertilisation process. The study shows that this protein could have the potential to diagnose and treat male infertility cases where a patient's sperm is unable to initiate or induce activation of the egg to form an early embryo.

According to Richard Oko from Queen's University in Canada, the synthetic protein has the ability to induce embryo development in human eggs in a fashion similar to the natural triggering of embryo development by the sperm cell during fertilisation,' said 'Based on our findings, we envision that physicians will be able to improve their diagnosis and treatment of infertility, a problem that affects 10-15 percent of couples worldwide,' Oko added. (Read: Can yoga beat infertility?)

The results of this study highlight the potential clinical applications of sperm PAWP as a predictor of infertility treatment. Since most human infertility treatments are now done by injecting a single sperm directly into an egg, supplementation of human sperm with PAWP protein may potentially be used to improve the success rate of infertility treatments in the future. 'The results of our study set the stage for further investigation of PAWP protein as a molecular marker for diagnosis and as a factor for improvement of infertility treatments,' Oko added.

Here are some basic tests for infertility are common for men and women.

1. These basic tests include:

• Complete Blood Count (CBC)
• Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR)
• Blood Sugar Fasting and PP
• Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3
• Syphilis (VDRL)
• Hepatitis HbsAg

You can read about these tests in detail in this post: Infertility profiling: 8 tests to check why you're not getting pregnant.

Infertility problems in men mainly arise due to low sperm count, poor sperm quality and hormonal problems. To check the quality of sperm, you'll need to get your semen tested. Semen is the sperm containing fluid that is released when you ejaculate.

2. Semen Analysis: This is basically done to check the sperm count and quality. For the test, typically 1.5 and 5.5 milliliters (mL) of semen is required.

• Sperm count: It is measured in 'sperm per milliliter of semen.' A count of 20 million sperms or greater is considered to be normal. Lower range may indicate infertility.

• Sperm quality: Sperm quality is measured based on two parameters: the shape and the mobility of sperms. Sperm mobility is the percentage of sperms that move actively in the sample. They are also graded based on the speed with which they travel and their direction of movement. If 50% or more sperms are found to be motile after one hour of obtaining the sample, the results are considered to be normal. Also, they should be moving with a good speed forward in a straight line. If 50% or less number of sperms are found to be non-motile, then a sperm viability test is done, where a coloured dye or stain is used to identify the dead sperms.

• Sperm morphology: The structure, size, shape and appearance of sperms is also observed. Abnormal sperms may have defective heads, midsections and immature forms. Ideally, over 14% of sperms should have normal heads. The semen should have pH between 7.2 and 7.8. Read more about Infertility in men diagnostic tests to identify the problem

With inputs from IANS

Photo source: Getty images

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• Treating infertility the new and improved approach
• 10 things that could cause infertility
• 7 inexpensive food items to boost your fertility

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