ReviewHuman reproduction update
Sperm selection in natural conception: what can we learn from Mother Nature to improve assisted reproduction outcomes?
Review in Human reproduction update. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 108 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
108 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 259 citations in OpenAlex.
- Seminal plasma cytokines in fertile versus infertile men: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Human reproduction update · 2026Pooled it
- Physiological, hyaluronan-selected intracytoplasmic sperm injection for infertility treatment (HABSelect): a parallel, two-group, randomised trial.Lancet (London, England) · 2019Trial
- Trial
- Impact of semen quality on the risk of direct cleavage in human embryos.Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2026Observational
- Does physiological sperm selection improve live birth rates in isolated teratozoospermia? A single-center retrospective cohort study.Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2026Article
- DNase Promotes the Release of Sperm Trapped by NETs and Induces Important Changes in Donkey Sperm Motility Patterns.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Female reproductive tract-on-a-chip for selecting sperm with ultra-low DNA fragmentation index.Microsystems & nanoengineering · 2026Article
- Sperm Testing in Assisted Reproductive Technology: Diagnosis and Outcome Prediction.Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) · 2026Review
- From reservoir to rendezvous: the journey of sperm through the oviduct.Reproduction, fertility, and development · 2026Review
- Fertility awareness methods and waiting conduct in idiopathic infertility: a prospective observational study.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2026Article
- Epididymal epithelial cells facilitate NEU1 loading to modulate sperm α-2,6 sialylation, enhance maturation and motility.Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS · 2025Article
- Article
- Male infertility.Systems biology in reproductive medicine · 2025Review
- Automated AI for real-time sperm selection in ICSI: reducing variability and studying the role of sperm in embryo development.Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E · 2025Observational
- D-Mannose-Mediated metabolic pathways sustain the molecular signatures of sperm function and fertilization.Journal of advanced research · 2025Article
- Human sperm as an in vitro toxicity model: a versatile tool for assessing the risk of environmental contaminants.Archives of toxicology · 2025Article
- Comparison of Swim-Up and Microfluidic Sperm Sorting Methods in Selection of Sperm for Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Label-free metabolic fingerprinting of motile mammalian spermatozoa with subcellular resolution.BMC biology · 2025Article
- Article
- Porcine sperm bind to an oviduct glycan coupled to glass surfaces as a model of sperm interaction with the oviduct.Scientific reports · 2025Article
48 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIn natural conception only a few sperm cells reach the ampulla or the site of fertilization. This population is a selected group of cells since only motile cells can pass through cervical mucus and gain initial entry into the female reproductive tract. In animals, some studies indicate that the sperm selected by the reproductive tract and recovered from the uterus and the oviducts have higher fertilization rates but this is not a universal finding. Some species show less discrimination in sperm selection and abnormal sperm do arrive at the oviduct. In contrast, assisted reproductive technologies (ART) utilize a more random sperm population. In this review we contrast the journey of the spermatozoon in vivo and in vitro and discuss this in the context of developing new sperm preparation and selection techniques for ART.
methodsA review of the literature examining characteristics of the spermatozoa selected in vivo is compared with recent developments in in vitro selection and preparation methods. Contrasts and similarities are presented. RESULTS AND
conclusionsNew technologies are being developed to aid in the diagnosis, preparation and selection of spermatozoa in ART. To date progress has been frustrating and these methods have provided variable benefits in improving outcomes after ART. It is more likely that examining the mechanisms enforced by nature will provide valuable information in regard to sperm selection and preparation techniques in vitro. Identifying the properties of those spermatozoa which do reach the oviduct will also be important for the development of more effective tests of semen quality. In this review we examine the value of sperm selection to see how much guidance for ART can be gleaned from the natural selection processes in vivo.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.