Prostate, Opens dialog

Test Overview

An antisperm antibody test looks for special proteins (antibodies, Opens dialog) that fight against sperm in blood, vaginal fluids, or semen. The test uses a sample of sperm and adds a substance that binds only to affected sperm.

Semen can cause an immune system, Opens dialog response. The antibodies can damage or kill sperm. If a high number of sperm antibodies come into contact with sperm, it may be hard for the sperm to fertilize an egg. This is called immunologic infertility.

A person's immune system can make antibodies that kill their own sperm. This can happen when the testicles, Opens dialog are injured or after surgeries (such as a biopsy, Opens dialog or vasectomy, Opens dialog) or after a prostate gland, Opens dialog infection. The testicles normally keep the sperm away from the rest of the body and the immune system.

The immune system can also have an allergic reaction, Opens dialog to another person's semen and make sperm antibodies. This kind of immune response is not fully understood but may affect fertility. This is a rare cause of infertility, Opens dialog.