Today there are more and more barren couples, and this is very sad. If during the examination of both spouses no pathologies from the reproductive system were found, then doctors prescribe an analysis for compatibility of partners.
What is compatibility?
About 6% of all causes of absence or miscarriage are infertility due to immunological reasons. This means that two people are incompatible with each other, antibodies to the man's sperm are produced in the woman’s body, as a result of which they die as foreign particles. Naturally, pregnancy cannot occur in this case, but even if it does, the fetal egg, which has half the chromosome set from the father, will also become foreign and will be destroyed for up to three weeks.
Today it is not completely clear why this happens, but it has already been confirmed that curettage, surgery on the ovaries and uterus, the presence of an intrauterine device, and even inflammation can cause activation of antibodies aimed at destroying sperm.
The male body itself may also have antibodies to its own sperm. This can be understood if, during the study, spermatozoa that are glued together and inactive are visible in the microscope . It is believed that high temperatures, injuries, and scrotum surgery can trigger the formation of antibodies.
Spouse Compatibility Analysis
In order to check how two people fit together, conduct a series of studies.
The very first compatibility analysis is a post-coital test (Shuvarsky-Gunner) . Its essence is to determine the number of live sperm in cervical mucus taken from a woman’s vagina during ovulation. A small amount of mucus is applied to a glass slide and examined under a microscope.
Not all doctors consider this compatibility analysis reliable, because it is necessary to conduct an examination precisely in ovulation, while at other times the quality of cervical mucus changes greatly and a false negative result is possible. The test may also be incorrect for other reasons, for example, a lack of estrogen in the body of a woman, stenosis of the cervical canal, scars on the neck, inflammation of the cervical canal. The analysis may be inaccurate due to oligospermia and sexual disorders in men.
Due to the large number of errors, this test should not be considered as the main one, there are other more reliable methods of examination.
To clarify, a Kurzrock-Milller test can be performed. It consists in the fact that the cervical mucus of a woman combines on a glass slide with the sperm of another man, and the sperm of a man with the mucus of another (giving birth) woman.
Determination of antisperm antibodies (MAR test and latex agglutination method) is the main immunological analysis for compatibility. It is performed both in men and in women, in pairs that have a negative post-coital test. The material is sperm, mucus and blood.
There is also a genetic compatibility analysis (HLA typing) , during which the level of similarity of the DNA of the mother and father is studied. Normally, these coincidences should not be.
Nature conceived so that with the “similarity” of genes, a child simply should not be born, because with the genetic material he inherits not only external signs, but also a predisposition to any diseases. This can be most clearly described by looking at the children whose parents are relatives. Most have deviations of a physical and mental nature. And this is due to the inheritance of identical genes.
Therefore, if immunological incompatibility can be overcome, then genetics cannot be affected. Of course, any form of incompatibility brings spouses pain and worries, but it is worth weighing the pros and cons before deciding whether to part or use donor material for conception.