Table 1. Sperm characteristics and kinematic parameters (mean ± SD) before and after migration through the cervical mucus with rare or absent leukocytes (PMN-free) or with noticeable amounts of leukocytes (PMN+).
| PMN-free (n = 7) | PMN+ (n = 4) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| |
Before migration |
After migration |
Before migration |
After migration |
| % of live sperms | 76 ± 6 | 85 ± 8a | 80 ± 4 | 83 ± 16a |
| % of normal sperms | 39 ± 8 | 50 ± 15a | 43 ± 8 | 53 ± 12a |
| Total motility (%) | 53 ± 9 | 76 ± 11a | 57 ± 15 | 76 ± 20a |
| Progressive motility (%) | 36 ± 14 | 52 ± 12a | 35 ± 16 | 52 ± 25a |
| VSL (μm s−1) | 54 ± 16 | 55 ± 8 | 50 ± 7 | 50 ± 13 |
| VAP (μm s−1) | 62 ± 14 | 64 ± 10 | 58 ± 5 | 58 ± 13 |
| VCL (μm s−1) | 91 ± 20 | 106 ± 25 | 86 ± 5 | 94 ± 16 |
| ALH (μm) | 3.6 ± 0.6 | 4.3 ± 1.1 | 3.5 ± 0.2 | 4.1 ± 0.4 |
| BCF (Hz) | 28 ± 1 | 28 ± 3 | 30 ± 3 | 28 ± 1 |
| STR (%) | 84 ± 6 | 83 ± 5 | 83 ± 6 | 83 ± 6 |
| LIN (%) | 59 ± 6 | 53 ± 6a | 57 ± 7 | 53 ± 8a |
Abbreviations: ALH, amplitude of lateral head displacement; BCF, beat cross-frequency; LIN, linearity of trajectory; PMN, polymorphonuclear leukocytes; STR, straightness of trajectory; VAP, average path velocity; VCL, curvilinear velocity; VSL, straight line velocity.
a
P < 0.01, in the comparison of the washed pooled spermatozoa and the washed spermatozoa after migration into the mucus sample.