ABO BLOOD-GROUP AND EXPRESSION OF ANTISPERM ANTIBODIES IN INFERTILE COUPLES IN KUWAIT

Two hundred and fifty infertile couples and 102 fertile controls were evaluated to determine the association between ABO blood group status and seminal blood group substances among infertile couples and express ion of circulating antisperm antibodies. Antisperm antibodies occurred in 18.8 and 17.7% of the infertile men and women, compared to 3.9% in the fertile women (p < 0.01). The 23 ABO blood group combinations in the infertile and fertile couples revealed no significant association with infertility except the predominance of B+/O+ spouses in the ferti le group (p < 0.03). Although 76.8% of the men were secretors of semin al blood group substances, there was no significant association with d evelopment of antisperm antibodies. This shows that ABO blood group is not directly associated with infertility nor antisperm antibody forma tion.