OBJECTIVE: The hemizona assay (HZA) is an established functional test that examines in vitro sperm-zona pellucida binding capacity with high predictive power for fertilization outcome in IVF. The objective of this study was to evaluate the value of the HZA as a predictor of pregnancy in patients undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) and intrauterine insemination (IUI).
DESIGN: Prospective clinical study.
SETTING: Academic center.
PATIENT(S): Eighty-two couples with unexplained or male factor infertility that underwent 313 IUI cycles.
INTERVENTION(S): Basic semen analysis and HZA were performed within three months of starting COH/IUI therapy.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Hemizona index (HZI) and clinical pregnancy.
RESULT(S): Overall, patients with an HZI ofor =30 (11.1% vs. 40.6%, respectively; P
CONCLUSION(S): The HZA predicted pregnancy in the IUI setting with high sensitivity and negative predictive value in couples with male infertility. Results of this sperm function test are useful in counseling couples before allocating them into COH/IUI therapy.