The SwimCount® Harvester has quickly become one of the most popular products at IVF Store. Many labs are turning to it as an affordable alternative not only to traditional sperm selection methods like Swim-up and Density Gradient Centrifugation (DGC), but also to other sperm separation devices such as ZyMōt®. New studies presented at ESHRE 2025 provide strong scientific support for this shift, confirming that the SwimCount® Harvester improves key lab outcomes while simplifying workflow.

In a prospective, double-blinded sibling oocyte study of 100 patients conducted at IVIRMA Valencia, Spain¹, the SwimCount® Harvester outperformed conventional Swim-up preparation across several metrics. Sperm processed using the SwimCount® Harvester showed significantly higher concentration, total progressive motile sperm count, and chromatin stability. DNA fragmentation was significantly lower compared to Swim-up. Morphologically normal sperm were also higher in the SwimCount® Harvester group.

Embryos were assessed using time-lapse imaging and AI analysis. Despite identical oocyte quality between groups, embryos from the SwimCount® Harvester group had a higher rate of usable and good-quality blastocysts, and reached the blastocyst stage faster. Fertilization and euploidy rates were similar. The study concluded that the SwimCount® Harvester improves embryo development and key IVF lab performance indicators without additional handling steps or centrifugation.

In a separate prospective IUI study conducted at Reproduction Clinic Osaka, Japan², researchers compared DGC, SwimCount® Harvester, and ZyMot® in 132 couples undergoing their first or second IUI. After propensity score matching, the SwimCount®Harvester showed significantly lower sperm DNA fragmentation compared to DGC. The motile sperm recovery rate was significantly higher with the SwimCount® Harvester than with ZyMōt®. Clinical pregnancy rates were similar across all groups, although not statistically significant then the Clinical outcome and pregnancy rates were as follows: 1) the SwimCount® Harvester Group was 7/44~15,9%; 2) the DGC Group 4/44~9,1% and 3) the ZyMōt® Group 2/44~4,6% confirming that the SwimCount® Harvester is effective while also offering a simpler, less stressful preparation process.

These findings are consistent with what we have seen at IVF Store. Labs appreciate the simplicity, reproducibility, and performance of the SwimCount® Harvester, whether they are using it for IUI, IVF and ICSI.

The price, ease of use (including the completely enclosed sperm migration chamber and expansive membrane), and excellent clinical results make the SwimCount® Harvester hard to beat.

If you have not yet tried the SwimCount® Harvester, we encourage you to learn more and consider integrating it into your workflow.

1) Novel Sperm Selection Device Improves Blastulation Rate, Embryo Morphology and Morphokinetic Patterns: Sibling Cohort Prospective Study.

F. Meseguer Estornell, L. Carrión Sisternas, R. Rivera Egea, L. Bori Arnal, C. Vidal Martínez, J.A. Remohí Giménez, M. Meseguer Escrivá

2) Centrifugation-Free, Simple, Microfluidic Sperm Sorting Devices Are Superior to Density Gradient Centrifugation in Selecting Competent Spermatozoa for Intra-Uterine Insemination.

Y. Iwamoto, S. Mizuta, A. Takemura, S. Kitahara, K. Doi, Y. Ohara, H. Matsubayashi, T. Ishikawa 

Reproduction Clinic Osaka Study – Clinical Outcomes Interim Study Results in IUI vs. DGC and ZyMōt®

In this IUI-focused study of 90 patients, the SwimCount® Harvester was compared to DGC and ZyMōt® across several key sperm quality and clinical endpoints. After preparation, SwimCount® Harvester showed significantly better sperm motility, concentration, and total motile sperm count than ZyMōt®, and superior DNA fragmentation reduction and motility compared to DGC. Clinical pregnancy rates were similar across groups, with SwimCount® Harvester achieving the highest at 16.7%, followed by DGC at 10% and ZyMōt® at 6.7%. The study concluded that the SwimCount®Harvester offers favorable sperm characteristics and practical lab advantages, including fewer steps and reduced hands-on time, making it a strong candidate for routine use in IUI preparation.

Biomedicines 2024 Study – Prospective Functional Comparison with DGC and Swim-up.

This study evaluated the performance of the SwimCount® Harvester against both Density Gradient Centrifugation (DGC) and Swim-up methods in two separate arms involving 100 semen samples each. Compared to DGC, the SwimCount® Harvester significantly improved progressive motility, total motile sperm count, vitality, morphology, and DNA fragmentation, though it showed no significant differences in concentration or chromatin stability. When compared to Swim-up, the SwimCount® Harvester demonstrated significantly higher sperm concentration, motile sperm count, and vitality, while other parameters such as morphology, DNA integrity, and fragmentation showed no statistical difference. The overall conclusion was that microfluidics, by eliminating centrifugation, improves several functional sperm quality parameters and represents a valuable alternative to traditional preparation methods.

IVIRMA, Valencia Spain Embryo and Sperm Quality Study – Clinical OutcomeSwimCount® Harvester vs. Swim-up

The SwimCount® Harvester is presented as a novel sperm selection methodology to be taken into account in the coming years.

The observations provided in the interim analysis show trends of increase in the rates of useful blastocyst and euploidy as well as improvement of embryo quality, that will be confirmed or refuted at the end of the blinded study, being the continuity of the same.

Preliminarily, the significant improvement in sperm quality stands out. Likewise, the number of steps necessary to perform the selection technique are reduced to the lowest level possible, decreasing the risk of human error, saving time and amount of cultivation media needed.