Failure of the Addition of Fresh Seminal Plasma to Cryopreserved–Thawed Sperm to Improve Semen Parameters

Previous data has shown that subnormal motility in some semen specimens can be improved by the addition of fresh human seminal plasma (HSP). However, if the HSP was first frozen the motility-enhancing factor was lost. We hypothesized that some of the reduction in sperm motility of cryopreserved-thawed sperm may be related to damage of the "motility-enhancing factor" of HSP. This study evaluated whether the addition of fresh HSP could improve the motility of frozen-thawed sperm. Each frozen-thawed specimen was evaluated for motile density and hypoosmotic swelling and then divided into two aliquots. Equal volumes of HSP, human tubal fluid (HTF), and control media were added and the semen parameters were reevaluated. The mean scores for motile density and percent motility did not change compared with baseline thawed volumes with either HSP or HTF additives. There were some isolated cases that did improve with either HSP (21%) or HTF (14%). Future studies are needed to determine whether this improvement is coincidental or consistent, and to determine whether at least some individuals can benefit from the addition of fresh HSP to frozen-thawed sperm.