What is immunological infertility

Patient's question:

What is immunological infertility

Doctor's answer:

Immunological infertility, broadly speaking, refers to infertility caused by abnormal immune systems in men and women. Narrowly speaking, it refers to infertility caused by abnormal immune function in the reproductive systems of men and women. Currently, immunological infertility is generally understood to refer to infertility caused by male autoantibodies against sperm or female alloantibodies against sperm. Additionally, immune responses against oocytes are also gaining increasing attention.
After sperm are produced in the testes and become independent cells, they can also become antigens of the male body. However, in normal individuals, the blood-testis barrier prevents this, and the seminal fluid contains immunosuppressive substances, while immune-active cells in the reproductive tract play a role, so anti-sperm antibodies are not produced. However, when the blood-testis barrier is damaged or immunosuppressive function is impaired, men may also produce autoantibodies against sperm.
When semen enters the female body, sperm act as foreign antigens to her. Under normal circumstances, these foreign cells are not rejected, and no immune response occurs that would produce anti-sperm antibodies. However, when infections or injuries occur in the reproductive tract, anti-sperm antibodies may be produced, leading to infertility.