Sperm that were immobile became active after just 20 seconds of ultrasound exposure in a lab experiment that may help boost the success of fertility treatment
By Sara Novak
14 February 2024
Sperm that don’t move fast enough may struggle to reach an egg, resulting in fertility issues
Alexey Kotelnikov / Alamy
Exposing immobile sperm to ultrasound waves gets them moving, a lab study has shown. Sperm that don’t move properly are a key cause of infertility, as it is harder for them to reach the egg. With further research, this technique could help improve the success rate of in vitro fertilisation (IVF).
Previous research has suggested that high-frequency ultrasound increases the motility of sperm. However, this work didn’t involve isolating the sperm to assess which individual cells benefited, which could then point doctors towards the optimal ones to use in fertility treatments.
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In the latest research, Ali Vafaie and his colleagues at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, separated 50 semen samples into three groups according to their sperm motility: rapid, slow and immotile, based on guidelines that assess swimming velocity.
After separating the individual sperm cells from the semen samples, the researchers measured the motility of the cells before and after they were exposed to ultrasonic sound waves at a power of 800 milliwatts and a frequency of 40 megahertz.
Following 20 seconds of ultrasound exposure, 59 per cent of the immotile sperm became slow moving, with some even starting to swim rapidly. The change in sperm motility peaked at a 266 per cent increase.