Sperm ‘washing’ procedure offers a chance to stop spread of diseases such as HIV/Aids or even limit the effects of antibodies that reduce chances of conception.
The new technology comprehensively washes the semen infected with HIV, the virus that causes Aids.
Fertility treatments have become popular in Kenya but unknown to many, there is more to them than just conception.
A procedure known as “washing semen” now offers a chance to stop spread of diseases such as HIV/Aids or even limit the effects of antibodies that reduce chances of conception.
The new technology comprehensively washes the semen infected with HIV, the virus that causes Aids.
A serodiscordant couple, where the man is HIV positive and the woman is HIV negative, can take advantage of sperm washing to have a biological child with minimal HIV-related risks to both the mother and baby.
semen separation
The relatively inexpensive procedure is done when a man is not virally suppressed and for those whose wives or partners do not want to take antiretrovirals (ARVs) to prevent infection.
“If a man is infected with the HIV, sperm washing can be used to prevent transmission of the virus to his partner, and still allow him to become a father. HIV is transmitted mainly through seminal fluid, without being present in the sperm itself.
Sperm washing does not eliminate every risk of transmission, but the risk is greatly reduced,” said Dr Ahmed Kalebi of Pathologists Lancet Group of Laboratories.
In this case, a semen analysis is done and then the semen is separated from the sperms.
A concentration of the man’s sperm is then collected and injected into the uterus. This can take more than one attempt before a woman conceives.
Sperm washing is done with the help of a device that spins at a high speed to separate the sperm from the seminal fluid.
The sperm is then purified in a solution twice, in order to clean other unwanted substances, including the HIV.
“The seminal fluid and other debris remain at the top which we use a pipette to drain. You then remain with the clean sperm cells which settled on the bottom layer,” said Brian Adembesa, an andrologist at Lancet.
Sperm washing is also done in instances when women have endometriosis, a condition where the tissue that makes up the uterine lining (the lining of the womb) is present or grows on other organs and can cause pain and infertility.
“For women with endometriosis, there are different types of assisted reproductive technologies available, all of which must use washed sperm cells,” says Mr Adembesa.
He adds that the women with endometriosis who undergo intra-uterine insemination have a lower risk of getting pregnant compared to those without.
“The success rate of insemination in women with endometriosis is about half of that of other women,” he points out.
However, women with endometriosis who undergo intra-uterine insemination and controlled ovarian hyper stimulation are more likely to conceive than those who try conceiving without such help.
“The average pregnancy rate per cycle for women with endometriosis is 22.2 per cent. This is slightly lower than the average in vitro fertilisation (IVF) success rates for women with other causes of infertility,’’ Mr Adembesa said.
Endometriosis is associated with lower egg retrieval numbers, lower implantation rates, and lower pregnancy rates, when compared to other causes of infertility.
Lancet charges from Sh9,000 to Sh11,000 for sperm washing but a couple requires to pay an additional fee of about Sh40,000 for artificial insemination.
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