Physicians

PUBLISHED STUDY SHOWS PREDICTIVE POWER OF CAP-SCORE

In a recently published prospective study in the journal, Molecular Reproduction and Development, men who exhibited a normal Cap-Score had more than a fourfold increase in generating a pregnancy during the first attempt, compared to those men who scored low. Similarly, men who had a normal score, also had a dramatic and consistently higher ability to generate a pregnancy in both the second and third attempts.*

In this study, Cap-Score and clinical pregnancy outcomes were analyzed for 91 couples. Based on their Cap-Scores, men were separated into groups that categorized them by their probability to generate a pregnancy. The published data showed that men with normal Cap-Scores generated four times the number of pregnancies in the first attempt than men with low Cap-Scores.*

Next, the study tested the ability of the traditional semen analysis to measure a man’s fertility and predict his probability of generating a pregnancy, versus Cap-Score. This was done by comparing the semen analysis measures — sperm count, motility, volume — of men who were and were not successful in generating a pregnancy. Of all sperm measures, Cap-Score alone was deemed the most appropriate measure and predictor of a man’s ability to generate a pregnancy. Simply stated, Cap-Score is the only proven measure of a man’s fertility.

The potential increase in clinical pregnancy rates and cost savings attributable to Cap-Score, consistently improve with age. The Cap-Score therefore increases in clinical and economic value for couples who would otherwise have a hard time conceiving.

VALUE OF CAP-SCORE TO ALL COUPLES

The Cap-Score, whether normal or low, allows the clinician along with the couple, to determine what degree of fertility assistance or intervention may be needed. If you are actively trying to conceive or just thinking about starting a family, knowledge of his Cap-Score can highlight where potential issues may lie, be it the man or the woman. Cap-Score can serve as the initial guide to what steps you should take first as a couple and how soon you should take them.

Even with a low Cap-Score, conception is still possible. As with any Cap-Score result, including a normal score, it is always advantageous to speak with a reproductive specialist. Fertility is never a finite measure. It’s dynamic and can be influenced by any number of male or female factors. As such, fertility exists in a low to high spectrum. Depending on the man’s probability to generate a pregnancy, along with any other contributing factors of the couple, a reproductive specialist may suggest different degrees of intervention, or none at all.

Male fertility exists in a low to high continuum, rather than a binary “fertile vs infertile” categorization defined by a specific cut-off.

“The ability to determine the man’s probability of generating a pregnancy is a substantial advance for all couples when planning their families. This is particularly important when childbirth is being delayed resulting in an increased likelihood of encountering potential problems,” said Gianpiero Palermo, MD, PhD, Director of Assisted Fertilization and the Andrology Laboratory at the Ronald O. Perelman and Claudia Cohen Center for Reproductive Medicine.

Cap-Score is also a powerful tool when it comes to understanding and managing the man’s fertility. Cap-Score can help assess substances that may be beneficial or harmful to a man’s reproductive system. Cap-Score provides a way to track effects on the man’s fertility, and more importantly, identify whether these effects are positive or negative. Everyday medications we take may have a negative impact on fertility. Conversely, there are supplements and suggested lifestyle changes purported to improve a man’s fertility. Cap-Score offers a way to measure the man’s fertility by providing a mechanism to closely track the effects of a suggested regimen or lifestyle change, and whether it increases, decreases or maintains your current level of fertility.

Multicentric, prospective observational data show sperm capacitation predicts male fertility, and cohort comparison reveals a high prevalence of impaired capacitation in men questioning their fertility

April 30, 2020
Fady Sharara, Eric Seaman, Randy Morris, Jay Schinfeld, Jennifer Nichols, Michael Sobel, Annette Lee, Stephen Somkuti, Steven Hirshberg, Tara Budinetz, Larry Barmat, Gianpiero Palermo, Zev Rosenwaks, Natan Bar-Chama, Joshua Bodie, John Nichols, John Payne, Travis McCoy, Edward Tarnawa, Gail Whitman-Elia, Lauren Weissmann, Maria Doukakis, Joshua Hurwitz, Mark Leondires, Cynthia Murdock, Ilana Ressler, Spencer Richlin, Shaun Williams, Matthew Wosnitzer, Michael Butcher, James Kashanian, Peter Ahlering, Mira Aubuchon, G. Charles Ostermeier, Alexander J. Travis
RBMO.2020; 1-11

Cap-Score™ prospectively predicts probability of pregnancy

September 25, 2018
Jay Schinfeld, Fady Sharara, Randy Morris, Gianpiero D. Palermo, Zev Rosenwaks, Eric Seaman, Steve Hirshberg, John Cook, Cristina Cardona, G. Charles Ostermeier, Alexander J. Travis.
Mol. Reprod Dev. 2018; 1-11.

Timing of sperm capacitation varies reproducibly among men

April 2, 2018
G. Charles Ostermeier, Cristina Cardona, Melissa A. Moody, Alana J. Simpson, Romeo Mendoza, Eric Seaman, Alexander J. Travis
Mol. Reprod Dev. 2018; 1-10.

Projecting the potential impact of the Cap-Score™ on clinical pregnancy, live births, and medical costs in couples with unexplained infertility

September 23, 2017
Babigumira, J.B., Sharara, F.I. & Garrison, L.P.
J Assist Reprod Genet (2018) 35:99-106

Localization patterns of the ganglioside GM1 in human sperm are indicative of male fertility and independent of traditional semen measures

April 18, 2017
Cardona C, Neri Q, Simpson A, Moody M, Ostermeier GC, Seaman E, Paniza T, Rosenwaks Z, Palermo G, Travis A
Mol. Reprod Dev. 2017; 84:423-435

Validation of a laboratory-developed test of human sperm capacitation

April 18, 2017
Moody M, Cardona C, Simpson A, Moody M, Smith T, Travis A, Ostermeier GC
Mol. Reprod Dev. 2017; 84:408-422

What do semen parameters mean? How to define a normal semen analysis

July 15, 2015
Chiles KA, Schlegel PN.
Andrology (Los Angel), 2015, 4: 136. 0:0, (2015)

Infertility counseling (or the lack thereof) of the forgotten male partner

June 3, 2015
Petok, William D.
Fertility and Sterility , Volume 104 , Issue 2 , 260 – 266

Limitations of semen analysis as a test of male fertility and anticipated needs from newer tests

November 25, 2014
Wang, Christina et al.
Fertility and Sterility , Volume 102 , Issue 6 , 1502 – 1507

Sperm functional tests

October 24, 2014
Oehninger, Sergio et al.
Fertility and Sterility , Volume 102 , Issue 6 , 1528 – 1533

Lipid modulation of calcium flux through CaV2.3 regulates acrosome exocytosis and fertilization

February 10, 2014
Cohen, Roy et al.
Developmental Cell , Volume 28 , Issue 3 , 310 – 321

Semen analysis and sperm function testing

December 19, 2011
Franken DR, Oehninger S.
Asian Journal of Andrology. 2012 Jan; 14(1): 6-13

Data presented at past scientific meetings: