The Role of Massage in Increasing Total Motile Sperm Count of IUI

Wake Forest University (WFU)

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 4

Conditions: Infertility

Treatments: Behavioral: Massage

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01969825

Massage2013

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this prospective, randomized study, was to determine if neck and shoulder massage performed within 15 minutes of semen sample collection will increase the semen volume, and therefore increase the total motile sperm available for insemination as a result of decreased stress.

Enrollment: 40 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 18 to 70 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Infertility,
• initiating clomiphene + IUI therapy
• signed study consent

Exclusion criteria

• Severe male infertility (baseline semen concentration < 10 million total motile sperm)
• female bilateral tubal occlusion
• failure to ovulate with clomiphene
• failed clomiphene + IUI therapy (three prior cycles with no conception)
• unable to tolerate clomiphene
• unable or unwilling to follow study protocol

Trial design

Primary purpose: Diagnostic

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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40 participants in 2 patient groups

Massage

Experimental group

Description:

Professional Swedish massage less than 15 minutes prior to semen collection for intrauterine insemination.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Massage

No massage

No Intervention group

Description:

Normal protocol for semen collection prior to intrauterine insemination.