An estimate of the fertility potential of the fractions of the split ejaculate in terms of the motile sperm count.

The motile sperm count is a simple index which is equivalent to the product of sperm density (millions of sperm per milliliter) and percentage of motility (motile sperm per 100 sperm x 0.01). Since other studies have demonstrated a positive correlation between this index and the pregnancy rate, it has been hypothesized that the motile sperm count could be useful for expressing the potential fertility of individual semen specimens. Collection of semen by the split ejaculate technique and subsequent artificial insemination homologous (AIH) with the best split fraction has been used for the treatment of oligospermia. We calculated the motile sperm count for whole semen and the first fraction of split ejaculates from 45 men who were studied for infertility. Subsequently, 15 couples agreed to AIH with the first fraction of the split ejaculate. The data indicate that the motile sperm count may be a reasonable index for comparing the potential fertility of the semen specimens and thereby estimating the chances of successful AIH.