On November 2, 2026, Houston-based Contrario Medical said the FDA had granted 510(k) clearance for Cyperus, a sterile, single-use device that prepares motile sperm from semen for IVF, ICSI and intrauterine insemination (IUI). Embryology and andrology lab staff use it in place of the multi-step preparation that comes before fertilization, and the company says it needs "fewer steps than on market devices." "We built this technology to improve the experience for healthcare providers and for the patients who depend on them in the fertility space," said CEO Albert Huang, MD.

Why It Matters

**Sperm preparation is the overlooked step in the IVF lab.** Most lab innovation money has gone into embryos and eggs, including time-lapse imaging, AI embryo grading and the robotic IVF lab UCSF is building with Conceivable ([our coverage](/stories/ucsf-conceivable-robotic-ivf-center)). Sperm preparation still mostly uses centrifuge-based density gradients and swim-up methods. Cyperus joins a small group of cleared single-use sorting devices that compete on simpler workflow and on the idea that sperm selected by flow look more like the ones that would reach an egg naturally. Whether that improves fertilization or live-birth rates has not been shown. A 510(k) clearance means the device is substantially equivalent to existing ones, not proof of better clinical outcomes. **It fits the growing male-fertility evidence base.** This month alone, a 27,000-man study linked tight underwear to sperm DNA damage ([our coverage](/stories/tight-underwear-sperm-27000-men-study)), and NIH funded Path Fertility to build a better male-infertility test ([our coverage](/stories/path-fertility-nih-male-infertility-test)). The microplastics claim is also well timed for marketing. If Contrario publishes peer-reviewed data on particle reduction and sample quality, "cleaner sperm" could become a selling point to clinics and patients. Until then, treat it as a hypothesis.

How it works. Cyperus is a closed system built around two membranes that create an active flow. Sperm naturally swim against flow, a behaviour called rheotaxis, "in the same way they do in the female reproductive tract," the company says, and that separates the strongest swimmers from the rest of the sample. Contrario also says studies have shown the flow reduces microparticles, including microplastics, in the separated sperm. That is a company claim, and the release cites no published data. The cleared indication is preparing motile sperm from semen to treat infertile couples by ICSI, IVF and IUI.

Who's backing it, and the price pitch. Contrario names two clinical advisers. Anthony Anderson, founder and CEO of IVF Academy USA, said "sperm preparation methods have barely evolved in years" and predicted Cyperus "will set a new standard." Francisco Arredondo, MD, co-founder and chief medical officer of Pozitivf Fertility, focused on cost: "Most new fertility technology fails that test by adding cost. Cyperus passes it, giving labs a better way to select high-quality sperm at a competitive price." Contrario has not published pricing. Labs can request a demonstration through the company.

Sources

Update — 2026-11-06

Initial entry — story first created.