In vitro cross penetration testing in infertile couples

Knowledge of the viability and migration of spermatozoa through cervical mucus is important to the clinician interested in the management of infertility. The evaluation of the sperm-mucus interaction should take place in the preovulatory phase of the menstrual cycle. The in vitro Sperm-Penetration-Meter test (SPM-test), first described by Kremer et al 1 , is a valuable tool for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility, for basic research on sperm transport in the human female, and also useful in order to know whether artificial insemination has a reasonable chance in achieving pregnancy and to know which type of insemination is to be preferred.