Why is it necessary to filter sperm before injecting sperm into the uterus?

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Nguyen Thi Man - Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital. The doctor has more than 10 years of experience in diagnosing, consulting and treating in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Sperm washing is a technique used to process semen before performing sperm injection into the uterus or into a test tube for artificial insemination. The purpose of sperm washing is to remove dead sperm and weak, malformed and fine sperm in order to obtain a sample of many healthy spermatozoa.

Intrauterine insemination, also known as IUI, is a method of using a small catheter to put some sperm after being washed through the cervix and pumped directly into the uterine cavity according to the basic principle of increasing sperm count. sperm motile to the distal fallopian tube, where the egg and sperm can meet and fertilize.

Intrauterine insemination is usually applied in the following cases:
The husband's sperm is weak in quantity and quality, has anti-sperm antibodies, The wife's cervix is ​​abnormal, and the pelvis is slightly sticky. Infertility of unknown cause The process of performing the sperm injection procedure only takes about 3-5 minutes and is usually painless for the patient, provided that the wife must have one of the two well-connected fallopian tubes. and done when that cycle has ovulation.

Normally, sperm can live in the female reproductive tract and can fertilize an egg for 2-4 days.
Sperm washing is to remove semen, eliminate most of the risk of infection, remove dead semen and select the best sperm in a small volume to perform sperm injection into the uterus. at the same time to avoid the risk of shock that may occur when performing IUI. Therefore, it is necessary to filter the sperm before injecting into the uterus.

Swim up and Gradient centrifugation are the two most commonly used sperm washing techniques.
Sperm washing filter is to put sperm into an available chemical (sperm culture medium) and then put it into a centrifuge. Thanks to the action of centrifugal force, the healthy sperm will go to one side, the weak or malformed sperm as well as the pathogens in the semen will go to the other side. Thanks to this, good sperm will be selected in a small volume to be injected into the wife's uterus or can be fertilized in vitro.

Semen is responsible for neutralizing and protecting sperm from the acidic environment of the vagina. However, after being released into a woman's vagina, semen causes many bad effects on sperm such as blocking the activation of sperm heads, semen contains many pathogens that cause diseases in the male genital tract, prostaglandins. in semen can cause uterine contractions when pumped into the uterine cavity. In addition, semen contains dead cells and toxins that can affect sperm quality. Semen when injected directly into the uterus can cause shock, so it is necessary to perform sperm washing as soon as possible.
The method of sperm washing for artificial insemination at Vinmec International General Hospital is carried out methodically and scientifically, in a sterile environment and conditions of international standards, ensuring sperm quality. the best. The sperm washing process is performed by leading modern medical equipment, under the supervision of leading infertility treatment experts and doctors, helping the process of artificial insemination. create the best results.