Influence of the quality of the cervical mucus on sperm penetration: comparison of the morphologic features of spermatozoa in 101 postcoital tests with those in the semen of the husband.

The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of abnormal spermatozoa in mucus by a postcoital test and to compare the findings with the teratospermia in a control analysis of the husband's semen. These data obtained from 101 hypofertile couples were correlated with the quality of mucus, which was classified into three categories according to rigorous scoring procedures. The morphologic features of spermatozoa were evaluated by the same investigator and classified on the basis of a system that allowed for multiple entries. This method provided an exact description when several anomalies were identified on the same spermatozoon. By this approach, spermofiltration of the mucus was determined both qualitatively and quantitatively. The proportion of abnormal spermatozoa decreased in the cervical mucus, compared with semen, when the mucus was abundant and of normal quality (32.3% +/- 8.7% in mucus, versus 55.7% +/- 13.9% in semen). The elimination of tail anomalies depended upon the quality of the cervical secretion. A normal mucus eliminated spermatozoa with abnormal heads only if they were associated with a tail anomaly.