Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-sjtt6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-01T23:09:50.321Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

10 - What makes ‘good sperm’?

from SECTION 2 - THE EMBRYO

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 June 2014

Allan Pacey
Affiliation:
Royal Hallamshire Hospital
Hilary Critchley
Affiliation:
University of Edinburgh
Iain Cameron
Affiliation:
University of Southampton
Stephen Smith
Affiliation:
Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine
Get access

Summary

Introduction

Spermatozoa have but one purpose: to deliver the male genome to the egg and fertilise it. In order to achieve this, the fertilising sperm must undergo a number of discrete, sequential and appropriately timed functions that are largely determined by the environment in which fertilising is taking place. These are summarised in Table 10.1. Considering sperm functions in this way shows the functional demands required by the fertilising sperm following an act of coitus at midcycle are, for example, undoubtedly much greater than those for sperm following a simple insemination procedure, such as intrauterine insemination (IUI). In turn, these are generally thought to be more demanding than those required for successful fertilisation by in vitro fertilisation (IVF), with sperm that fertilise following intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) (where the only requirement is for sperm to have competent DNA capable of successfully decondensing) having the least number of demands placed upon them. Therefore, to be able to define simply what makes ‘good sperm’ is not as straightforward as it first might seem. However, for the purpose of this article, sperm function following unassisted conception will be considered as the starting point from which appropriate references to assisted conception techniques will be made, where relevant.

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2005

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×