Criteria of Howards for Measuring Antisperm Antibodies in an Infertile Male

 

Criteria:

(1) clumping of sperm seen during semen analysis

(2) poor motility (asthenospermia) that is unexplained

(3) unexplained infertility after a complete workup

 

I would also add a fourth criteria:

(4) active autoimmune disease

 

Testing for antisperm antibodies includes measurement of the antibodies in both serum and semen.

 

Limitations -Testing for antisperm antibodies is controversial:

• Fertile males can have antisperm antibodies.

• The target antigens are poorly characterized.

• Studies give inconsistent results.