The cause of infertility is due to your immune system attacking sperm

If you've been trying to get pregnant for more than one year but it's not working, it could be that you or your partner are infertile. There are many causes of infertility. However, did you know that your own immune system can actually reduce fertility? I wonder how this can happen, huh? Check out the full review below.

Why can the immune system attack sperm?

The human immune system is responsible for attacking foreign organisms that can cause disease or damage to the body. Be it bacteria, viruses, or germs. However, it seems that the immune system can also mistakenly attack male sperm cells if they are considered foreign organisms.

To attack certain organisms, your immune system will produce antibodies. There are many types of antibodies, depending on what organism is being attacked. In this case, the antibodies that attack the sperm cells are called antisperm antibodies, abbreviated ASA.

ASA can be produced by both the immune system in men and women. If ASA attacks sperm, the chances of conception and pregnancy are smaller.

Antisperm antibody (ASA) in the male body

In good health, sperm are protected by the testicles and do not come into contact with blood. The antibodies themselves are present in the blood. That is, sperm and antibodies should ideally not meet each other. However, due to certain diseases, injury, infection, or surgery to the testicular area, contact between sperm and blood that contains antibodies can occur. The two components should never meet, so it is not surprising that the antibodies then recognize sperm as the enemy. Since then, the body produces ASA.

When antibodies meet with objects that are considered foreign, an immune response begins. One goal: to remove these foreign objects to keep the body safe and healthy. When ASA meets sperm which is considered a foreign object, the body will try to fight the sperm until it is destroyed. So, when a man releases semen, there are no sperm cells that can fertilize a woman's uterus. This is one of the causes of infertility in men.

Antisperm antibodies (ASA) in the female body

In the female body, this immune reaction to sperm is not fully understood by experts. Further research is still needed to determine why a woman's immune system considers sperm a dangerous organism that needs to be attacked.

In the female body ASA can attack at any time. The reason is, these antibodies are not only present in the blood, but also in vaginal fluids. So when sperm cells enter the vagina, ASA can attack and thwart fertilization.

ASA reactions vary in each woman's body. There is ASA which reacts by clumping the sperm cells together so that they cannot enter the uterus. There are also those that directly block the sperm from meeting the egg.

So if your body has ASA, it will be more difficult for you to get pregnant. Unfortunately the researchers have not found exactly what the risk factors for this disorder in women. There is indeed one theory that is still being developed today. The theory suspects that if sperm quality is poor, for example because your partner smokes, the woman's immune system also sees the sperm cells as a threat to the reproductive system and should be stopped immediately.

Can you still get pregnant if the immune system attacks sperm?

Relax, although ASA can be the cause of infertility, it doesn't mean you can't get pregnant at all. ASA will not make you infertile. The reason is, you can still try to get pregnant by way of outside fertilization or in vitro fertilization (IVF).

When fertilization is done outside, the sperm cells will not be attacked by ASA because they are not mixed with blood and are not in the female reproductive tract. So, the possibility of an embryo forming is still there.