Male Stress Is Associated with Ovarian and Endometrial Responses in ICSI Cycles: Is Seminal Plasma the Linchpin?статья
Статья опубликована в высокорейтинговом журнале
Информация о цитировании статьи получена из
Scopus
Статья опубликована в журнале из списка Web of Science и/или Scopus
Дата последнего поиска статьи во внешних источниках: 23 января 2026 г.
Аннотация:Evidence indicates that seminal plasma (SP) has pregnancy-favorable biological effects,but there is no definitive proof that exposure to SP increases pregnancy rates in assistedreproductive techniques. We previously showed that this discrepancy may be due tomale stress altering SP composition. This study investigated the association betweenmale stress biomarkers in saliva, serum and SP and key determinants of female fertilityin women exposed to their partner’s SP during the intracytoplasmic sperm injection(ICSI) cycle. The prospective pilot study included couples with tubal infertility who hadunprotected intercourse during the ICSI cycle, supplemented by intravaginal SP injectionon the oocyte retrieval day. Salivary cortisol and seminal noradrenaline were quantified byenzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to assess the activity of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and sympathetic nervous systems. Seminal interleukin-18 was measuredusing LegendPlex™ technology. Cluster analysis of male stress biomarkers identified twoneuroendocrine-immune (NEI) phenotypes, characterized by signs of acute (phenotype-1) and chronic (phenotype-2) stress. Women with NEI phenotype-2 partners had fewercollected, mature, and fertilized oocytes, thinner endometrium, and significantly lowerpregnancy rates (18.2%) compared to those with NEI phenotype-1 partners (84.6%). Thesedata may suggest a dual role for SP in female fertility, depending on the type of male stress.