Objective: To test the hypothesis that alpha-glycosidase activity in seminal plasma can predict the outcome of both IUI and IVF.
Design: A retrospective cohort study.
Setting: Tertiary fertility center in a university hospital.
Patient(s): Eighty-three subfertile couples who underwent IUI and 125 subfertile couples who underwent IVF.
Intervention: None.
Main outcome measure(s): Determination of the alpha-glycosidase activity in seminal plasma before an IUI or IVF attempt, correlation of alpha-glycosidase activity and other semen parameters, and prediction of pregnancy using alpha-glycosidase activity in seminal plasma.
Result(s): Alpha-glycosidase activity correlated with sperm count. In the IUI group, alpha-glycosidase activity of >23.9 mU/mL predicted pregnancy with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 55.2%. In the IVF group, the outcome could not be predicted with use of any of the semen parameters.
Conclusion(s): Alpha-glycosidase activity measured in mU/mL probably can be used as a predictor for IVF and pregnancy in an IUI program but has no predictive value with regard to pregnancy rate in an IVF program.