New research from Stockholm University and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust explains that eggs use chemical signals to select sperm to enter them. The study talks about how different women's eggs attract different men's sperm, and not necessarily their partner's.
Humans spend a lot of time and effort in choosing their partner. Apparently, so do egg cells when it comes to sperms. Scientists say that human eggs use chemical signals to attract sperm.
According to John Fitzpatrick, an associate professor at Stockholm University, human eggs discharge chemicals called chemoattractants that appeal sperm to unfertilized eggs. Furthermore, he said that the team wanted to determine if eggs use these chemical signals to choose which sperm they attract.
In the study, the researchers analyzed how sperm reacts to follicular fluid. The fluid surrounds eggs and holds sperm chemoattractants. The researchers wanted to find out if follicular fluids from different females attracted sperm from some males more than others.
The full findings of the study were published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B on June 9, 2020.
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Even a Woman's Egg Cells Have Criterias For Sperms
Professor Fitzpatrick says that follicular fluid from one female was better at drawing attention to sperm from one male. On the other hand, follicular fluid from another female was better at attracting sperm from another male. This behavior shows that interplay between human eggs and sperm rely on the distinct identity of the women and men involved, he added.
Eggs are not always amenable with the women's choice of partner, the researchers say. Moreover, they found that eggs did not always attract more sperm from their partner in comparison to sperm from another male.
Fitzpatrick explained that sperms, on the other hand, don't get to be too picky when it comes to eggs. It has only one job to do, which is to fertilize eggs. On the contrary, eggs get a better hand by picking high quality or genetically suitable sperm.
According to Professor Daniel Brison, the scientific director of the Department of Reproductive Medicine at Saint Marys' Hospital, the concept of eggs picking out sperms is contemporary in human fertility.
More Understanding on Infertility
Infertility is a common health problem experienced by both sexes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately six percent of married American women aged 15 to 44 years are unable to get pregnant after one year of trying to conceive.
Additionally, about 12 percent of women in the United States in the reproductive age group have difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term, without regard to their marital status.
Infertility is currently being treated through pharmacological means, surgery, intrauterine insemination, or assisted reproductive technology. Doctors often use medication and intrauterine insemination in conjunction with each other.
Brison adds that analysis on how eggs and sperm interact will further advance fertility treatments. Eventually, the team believes that it could also help in further understanding some of the currently 'unknown' causes of infertility in couples.
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