Infertility

Disease information

Although there are a lot causes for infertility, here we’ll dig only into the possible autoimmune etiology of the condition. Autoantibodies cause destruction of the reproductive tissues of both males and females this contributes to infertility. The antibodies are directed against sperm producing and steroid producing cells of the testes and ovaries respectively and such autoimmune infertility usually occurs in association with other autoimmune diseases.

In 20% of cases of autoimmune infertility, the predominant antibody is the one directed against spermatozoa and is present in both males and females. It primarily works by impairing sperm motility through surface binding and agglutination process. In females with primary ovarian insufficiency, antibodies against different ovarian structures also lead to infertility. These antibodies prevent the maturation of the ovum and its fertilization by sperm and their main target antigens are various steroid producing cells in the ovaries.