A new study by researchers from the University of Stockholm and the NHS Foundation Trust from the University of Manchester, has shown that eggs use chemical signals to attract and select sperm. And according to the researchers, different eggs from women specifically attract the sperm of some men better, but not necessarily that of their partner.
Humans spend a lot of time and energy choosing their partner. And now a new study by researchers at the University of Stockholm and the NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) from the University of Manchester has shown that the choice of partner continues even within intercourse at the level of the eggs, which can literally “choose” the sperm that suits them.
” Human eggs release chemicals called chemoattractants, which attract sperm to unfertilized eggs. We wanted to know if eggs use these chemical signals to choose the sperm they attract Said John Fitzpatrick, associate professor at the University of Stockholm.
Dr John Fitzpatrick, Wallenberg Academy Fellow, Department of Zoology, Stockholm University. Credits: Magnus Bergström / Knut Foundation and Alice Wallenberg
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Researchers looked at the response of sperm to follicular fluid, which surrounds the eggs and contains chemoattractants for sperm. They wanted to know if follicular fluids from different females attracted sperm from some males more than others.
Choice of microscopic partner
” A female’s follicular fluid was more effective at attracting sperm from a specific man, while another woman’s follicular fluid was more effective at attracting sperm from another man. Said Professor Fitzpatrick. ” This shows that the interactions between eggs and sperm depend on the specific identity of the women and men involved. “, he added.
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Indeed, the ovary is not always in agreement with the choice of partner of women: the researchers discovered that the ova did not always attract more the sperm of their partner compared to that of another male.
But then, is it a choice of ovum or sperm? Professor Fitzpatrick explained that sperm have only one task to do, which is to fertilize the eggs. Therefore, it is not logical that they are the ones who are selective. The ovaries, on the other hand, can only benefit from a choice of high-quality, or genetically compatible, sperm.
” The idea that eggs choose sperm is really new in the field of human fertility “Said Professor Daniel Brison, Scientific Director of the Department of Reproductive Medicine at Saint Marys Hospital, which is part of the MFT, and lead author of this study. ” Research into how eggs and sperm interact will advance fertility treatments and could potentially help us understand some of the currently “unexplained” causes of infertility in some couples. Added Brison.
” I want to thank everyone who participated in this study and contributed to these results, which could benefit couples struggling with infertility in the future “, He also added.
Source: Proceedings of the Royal Society B
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