The ratio between carcinoma antigen-125 levels in the seminal plasma and serum may be a marker for fertilization in intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

Objective: To assess the relationship between tumor marker carcinoma antigen-125 levels in seminal plasma and serum and fertilization rates in an IVF program, using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Design: A prospective study.

Setting: IVF Unit, Lis Maternity Hospital, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Patient(s): Twenty-five infertile patients with severe oligo-terato-asthenospermia syndrome and 25 fertile male donors.

Intervention(s): None.

Main Outcome Measure(s): Serum and seminal plasma carcinoma antigen-125 concentrations and fertilization rate per cycle.

Result(s): In the infertile group, the seminal plasma carcinoma antigen-125 levels ranged from 22.0 to 1,284.0 U/mL (mean level +/- SD, 229.9 +/- 274.2 U/mL). In the normospermic fertile male donors, the seminal plasma carcinoma antigen-125 concentrations ranged from 12.2 to 336.7 U/mL (mean level +/- SD, 110.1 +/- 91.6 U/mL). This difference was statistically significant. The mean +/- SD ratio between the seminal plasma/serum carcinoma antigen-125 levels differed significantly between the infertile group (47.9 +/- 61.3) and the fertile male donors (5.7 +/- 3.5). In the infertile group, the ratio between the seminal plasma/serum carcinoma antigen-125 levels was found to be negatively correlated with the oocyte fertilization rate.

Conclusion(s): The ratio between carcinoma antigen-125 levels in the seminal plasma and serum may be an indirect marker for male infertility and fertilization rate in IVF treatment using ICSI.