A double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the use of methylprednisolone in infertile men with sperm-associated immunoglobulins.

Forty-three men with antibody-mediated infertility identified by measuring sperm-associated immunoglobulin with a direct radiolabeled antiglobulin assay were enrolled in a double-blind, placebo-controlled protocol to judge the efficacy of corticosteroids in this condition. In the active drug group, men were given 96 mg methylprednisolone in three divided doses for 7 days followed by a 2-day tapering of the drug. The control group was given placebo in the same manner. Both regimens were repeated three times approximately 1 month apart on the basis of their female partner's menstrual cycle. There was not a favorable effect of corticosteroids over placebo on the men's semen parameters, the results of assays for sperm-associated IgA and plasma IgG antisperm antibodies, or the men's subsequent fertility. There was a statistically significant effect on sperm-associated IgG in men given methylprednisolone compared with men given placebo.