Objective: To evaluate the effect of sperm treatment with exogenous platelet-activating factor (PAF) on IUI clinical pregnancy rate.
Design: Prospective randomized study.
Setting: Assisted Reproduction Unit, 2nd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Athens, Aretaieion Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Subject(s): Fifty-two couples with unexplained infertility, candidates for IUI.
Intervention(s): Sperm treatment with an exogenous mixture of PAF (final concentration, 10(-7) mol/L) in sperm-washing medium, direct swim-up technique of sperm preparation, a maximum of six IUI cycles per couple with or without PAF treatment.
Main outcome measure(s): Clinical pregnancy rate (pregnancies confirmed by ultrasonography per hundred cycles).
Result(s): The overall clinical pregnancy rate after a maximum of six IUI cycles was significantly higher when sperm was treated with PAF compared with the rate after the direct swim-up technique (23.07% vs. 7.92%).
Conclusion(s): Treatment of sperm with exogenous PAF might improve the clinical outcome of IUI in cases of unexplained infertility.