Semen rheology and its relation to male infertility

Infertility affects 15% of couples of reproductive age worldwide. In spite of many advances in understanding and treating male infertility, there is still a number of issues that need further investigation and translation to the clinic. Here, we review the current knowledge and practice concerning semen rheology and its relation with pathological states affecting male infertility. Although it is well recognized that altered rheological properties of semen can impair normal sperm movement in the female reproductive tract, routine semen analysis is mostly focused on number, motility and morphology of spermatozoa, and includes only an approximate, operator-dependent measure of semen viscosity. The latter is based on the possible formation of a liquid thread from a pipette where a semen sample has been aspirated, a method that is sensitive not only to viscosity but also to elongational properties and surface tension of semen. The formation of a liquid thread is usually associated with a gel-like consistency of the sample and changes in spermatozoa motility in such a complex medium are still to be fully elucidated. The aim of this review is to point out that a more quantitative and reliable characterization of semen rheology is in order to improve the current methods of semen analysis and to develop additional tools for the diagnosis and treatment of male infertility.