Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology (CEOG) is published by IMR Press from Volume 47 Issue 1 (2020). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with S.O.G.
Grey zone score for hypo-osmotic swelling test (HOST) is not associated with embryo implantation defects
Purpose: To evaluate the clinical significance of the grey zone range (50-59%) of the hypo-osmotic swelling test (HOST) on sperm samples. Methods: Clinical and viable pregnancy rates and implantantion rates following in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) were determined in couples where the male partner scored between 50-59% on the HOST. The data were further evaluated according to the discrepancy between viability and HOST. Finally, the study assigned whether treating sperm with the protein digestive enzyme chymotrypsin had any effect on pregnancy outcome. Results: Pregnancy and implantation rates were comparable for couples with grey zone HOST scores with the normal IVF rate for the center. Having a large discrepancy between viability and HOST scores had no clinical significance nor did treatment with chymotrypsin. Conclusion: In contrast to HOST scores < 50% where extremely poor implantation rates are noted, grey zone scores have no clinical significance.