Prednisolone Improves IVF Outcomes in Men With Anti-sperm Antibodies

Summary

Corticosteroids have been indicated to treat men with ASAs. Although many studies have confirmed the clinical therapeutic significance of corticosteroids in the treatment of men with ASAs, other studies have not found a therapeutic significance for corticosteroids in the treatment of men with ASAs. Moreover, although some reports have shown high fertilization and conception rates in couples when husbands did not have ASAs, other reports have shown that ASAs do not have a negative effect on fertilization and conception rates. These contradictory results have left the therapeutic effect of corticosteroids in men with ASA in continuing controversy. This controversy is also extended to include the usefulness of assisted reproductive technology (ART) in the treatment of patients with ASAs. In this regard, although some studies have shown that the pregnancy rate following in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracellular sperm injection (ICSI) were similar in men with or without ASA or did not associate with ASA, others reported the superiority of ICSI over IVF and intrauterine insemination over natural intercourse in men with ASAs. It is possible that some patients with ASAs also have an additional problem(s) related to sperm binding to the oolemma and fusion into the ovum as well as sperm head decondensation. The latter condition may negatively influence or mask the clinical significance of corticosteroids on pregnancy rates in patients with ASAs. Some patients might not have benefited from corticosteroids and conventional IVF treatments due to the impaired sperm fusogenic capacity in addition to ASAs. Human sperm penetration assay (SPA), of the hamster oocyte free from zona pellucida, is a sensitive tool that can address such potential impairment of sperm binding with the oolemma and fusion into the oocyte as well as sperm head decondensation. Males with poor SPA results benefit from ICSI whereas those with good SPA results can still benefit from conventional IVF. The present study was therefore conducted to address the therapeutic usefulness of a corticosteroid named prednisolone in the treatment of immunologically infertile men undergoing IVF or ICSI determined by SPA.

Timeline

Start

2014-10

Primary completion

2016-03

Completion

2016-05

Publications

• Background Omu AE, al-Qattan F, Abdul Hamada B. Effect of low dose continuous corticosteroid therapy in men with antisperm antibodies on spermatozoal quality and conception rate. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 1996 Nov;69(2):129-34. doi: 10.1016/0301-2115(95)02539-1.
• Background Hendry WF, Treehuba K, Hughes L, Stedronska J, Parslow JM, Wass JA, Besser GM. Cyclic prednisolone therapy for male infertility associated with autoantibodies to spermatozoa. Fertil Steril. 1986 Feb;45(2):249-54. doi: 10.1016/s0015-0282(16)49163-6.
• Background Hendry WF, Hughes L, Scammell G, Pryor JP, Hargreave TB. Comparison of prednisolone and placebo in subfertile men with antibodies to spermatozoa. Lancet. 1990 Jan 13;335(8681):85-8. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(90)90548-j.
• Background Keane D, Jenkins DM, Higgins T, O'Neill M, Mulcahy MF, Ferriss JB. The effect of intermittent steroid therapy on anti-sperm antibody levels. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 1995 Nov;63(1):75-9. doi: 10.1016/0301-2115(95)02217-u.
• Background Bals-Pratsch M, Doren M, Karbowski B, Schneider HP, Nieschlag E. Cyclic corticosteroid immunosuppression is unsuccessful in the treatment of sperm antibody-related male infertility: a controlled study. Hum Reprod. 1992 Jan;7(1):99-104. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.humrep.a137568.
• Background De Almeida M, Feneux D, Rigaud C, Jouannet P. Steroid therapy for male infertility associated with antisperm antibodies. Results of a small randomized clinical trial. Int J Androl. 1985 Apr;8(2):111-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2605.1985.tb00824.x.
• Background Haas GG Jr, Manganiello P. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the use of methylprednisolone in infertile men with sperm-associated immunoglobulins. Fertil Steril. 1987 Feb;47(2):295-301.
• Background Vazquez-Levin MH, Notrica JA, Polak de Fried E. Male immunologic infertility: sperm performance on in vitro fertilization. Fertil Steril. 1997 Oct;68(4):675-81. doi: 10.1016/s0015-0282(97)00255-0.
• Background Ayvaliotis B, Bronson R, Rosenfeld D, Cooper G. Conception rates in couples where autoimmunity to sperm is detected. Fertil Steril. 1985 May;43(5):739-42. doi: 10.1016/s0015-0282(16)48557-2.
• Background Pagidas K, Hemmings R, Falcone T, Miron P. The effect of antisperm autoantibodies in male or female partners undergoing in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer. Fertil Steril. 1994 Aug;62(2):363-9. doi: 10.1016/s0015-0282(16)56892-7.
• Background Zini A, Lefebvre J, Kornitzer G, Bissonnette F, Kadoch IJ, Dean N, Phillips S. Anti-sperm antibody levels are not related to fertilization or pregnancy rates after IVF or IVF/ICSI. J Reprod Immunol. 2011 Jan;88(1):80-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jri.2010.09.002. Epub 2010 Dec 15.
• Background Zini A, Fahmy N, Belzile E, Ciampi A, Al-Hathal N, Kotb A. Antisperm antibodies are not associated with pregnancy rates after IVF and ICSI: systematic review and meta-analysis. Hum Reprod. 2011 Jun;26(6):1288-95. doi: 10.1093/humrep/der074. Epub 2011 Mar 23.
• Background Lahteenmaki A, Reima I, Hovatta O. Treatment of severe male immunological infertility by intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Hum Reprod. 1995 Nov;10(11):2824-8. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.humrep.a135800.
• Background Robinson JN, Forman RG, Nicholson SC, Maciocia LR, Barlow DH. A comparison of intrauterine insemination in superovulated cycles to intercourse in couples where the male is receiving steroids for the treatment of autoimmune infertility. Fertil Steril. 1995 Jun;63(6):1260-6. doi: 10.1016/s0015-0282(16)57608-0.

Drugs

Indications