Semen analysis | Male Infertility Tests: Semen
Male Infertility Tests: Semen
In research into the possibility of male infertility there are a number of tests and factors that your fertility specialist wants to investigate and evaluate. To help you prepare for your fertility test, here is a list of some of the most common male factors infertility tests, as well as information about what your fertility doctor will seek.
Semen analysis
In research into the possibility of male infertility there are a number of tests and factors that your fertility specialist wants to investigate and evaluate. To help you prepare for your fertility test, here is a list of some of the most common male factors infertility tests, as well as information about what your fertility doctor will seek.
Semen analysis
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| Semen analysis | Male Infertility Tests: Semen |
Semen analysis is the most common male infertility test and should always be a part of male infertility. A semen analysis evaluates how well sperm is produced and ripe, as well as how it interacts with the seminal fluid.
Your fertility specialist reports on the following criteria, using values determined by the World Health Organization.
Sperm count
Also referred to as the concentration, the sperm count is a measure of how much million sperm a man has per milliliter semen. On average, the sperm should be higher than 60 million / ml. Men who have less than 20 million / ml are infertile.
Seed motility
Seed motility, or mobility, is an assessment of how well the sperm of a person moves. Ideally, at least 50%, preferably more of a sperm of a man, must be active.
Sperm Morphology
The shape of a sperm cell is also quite important when it comes to fertility. When investigating your sperm morphology, your sperm cells are examined under a microscope for certain properties. At least 30% of your semen must meet these criteria.
Ejaculate Volume
How much a man ejaculates is also assessed. 2 ml or more is the normal volume for ejaculation. However, a variety of factors may affect how much ejaculation is provided for semen analysis. If not all ejaculates are collected in the delivered container or if a man gets "performance anxiety", the amount of semen collected may be less than what the man actually produces.
Semen Fluid
Different factors regarding the seminal fluid will also be evaluated. This includes the color, viscosity of the fluid and how long it is necessary for the sperm to flow after ejaculation, since all of these aspects have a negative effect on the sperm.
Total Motile Count
This final review calculates the total number of motile sperm in a man's ejaculate. To figure this out, your fertility specialist will multiply the volume of your sample with the sperm by the percentage of sperm. An acceptable ejaculate should have more than 40 million motile semen.
Additional tests
A semen analysis is not the only type of test your fertility specialist is likely to perform. Other tests will investigate these factors:
Anti-Sperm
Some cases of male infertility can be attributed to anti-sperm antibodies. This is an immunological reaction that attacks the man's body's sperm, which impedes fertility in various ways. The antibodies can prevent sperm from travel through a woman's cervical mucus, can sperm the sperm of melting the egg and / or prevent sperm ability to penetrate the egg. Some men run more risk of developing antibodies than others.
Kruger Morpology
If there is a morphology of sperm, a Kruger morphology test can be done. This male infertility test can investigate physicians more closely on the form of semen. Stringent criteria must be met in order to pass the sperm as "normal". This evaluation includes examining a sperm's head, center and tail. This test is beneficial because it gives your specialist a better idea of which ART methods are most useful to you.
White blood cells
If a semen sample contains a higher than usual number of white blood cells, this may indicate a past infection or possible inflammation. Although some white blood cells are expected to be found, a sample containing more than one million white blood cells per milliliter is considered to be problematic. If elevated levels of white blood cells are found, further samples must be provided as white blood cell testing must be the first evaluation on a sample.
Progress
This test is designed to evaluate how much progress the mobile sperm can make. Because the motility does not promote progress, it is necessary to get a clear picture of how active sperm is. By combining the percentage of mobile sperm with the distance they can swim, your fertility specialist will get a better picture of how well your sperm performs.
Specialized Testing
If necessary, your fertility specialist can perform one, single or all of these specialized tests.
Viability
This staining technique enables fertility physicians to see which sperm is actually alive and sharply literally. Men whose semen analysis revealed a motility of less than 30% will probably have conducted this test on their semen sample.
Post-Ejaculatory Urinalysis (PEU)
This test was done to see whether some or the sperm is backbagged into the bladder, a condition known as retrograde ejaculation. To perform this test, a man is required to deliver a semen sample and immediately a urine sample. This post-ejaculatory urine is then examined for the presence of semen.
Fructose
Men whose sperm count is low or have azoospermia will have done this test to determine whether sperm is blocked or just not produced. This test is intended to distinguish between the two problems.
Spun Specimen
In some cases, a man may have such a low sperm that no sperm is noticed on the initial test slide. However, sperm can still be present in the ejaculate. This test helps to determine if there is sperm or not by rotating the ejaculate sample, so that all sperm that may be present can be separated and collected at the bottom of the tube. If semen is identified, a few still certain ART methods can be used, such as ICSI with IVF.
A semen analysis is not the only type of test your fertility specialist is likely to perform. Other tests will investigate these factors:
Anti-Sperm
Some cases of male infertility can be attributed to anti-sperm antibodies. This is an immunological reaction that attacks the man's body's sperm, which impedes fertility in various ways. The antibodies can prevent sperm from travel through a woman's cervical mucus, can sperm the sperm of melting the egg and / or prevent sperm ability to penetrate the egg. Some men run more risk of developing antibodies than others.
Kruger Morpology
If there is a morphology of sperm, a Kruger morphology test can be done. This male infertility test can investigate physicians more closely on the form of semen. Stringent criteria must be met in order to pass the sperm as "normal". This evaluation includes examining a sperm's head, center and tail. This test is beneficial because it gives your specialist a better idea of which ART methods are most useful to you.
White blood cells
If a semen sample contains a higher than usual number of white blood cells, this may indicate a past infection or possible inflammation. Although some white blood cells are expected to be found, a sample containing more than one million white blood cells per milliliter is considered to be problematic. If elevated levels of white blood cells are found, further samples must be provided as white blood cell testing must be the first evaluation on a sample.
Progress
This test is designed to evaluate how much progress the mobile sperm can make. Because the motility does not promote progress, it is necessary to get a clear picture of how active sperm is. By combining the percentage of mobile sperm with the distance they can swim, your fertility specialist will get a better picture of how well your sperm performs.
Specialized Testing
If necessary, your fertility specialist can perform one, single or all of these specialized tests.
Viability
This staining technique enables fertility physicians to see which sperm is actually alive and sharply literally. Men whose semen analysis revealed a motility of less than 30% will probably have conducted this test on their semen sample.
Post-Ejaculatory Urinalysis (PEU)
This test was done to see whether some or the sperm is backbagged into the bladder, a condition known as retrograde ejaculation. To perform this test, a man is required to deliver a semen sample and immediately a urine sample. This post-ejaculatory urine is then examined for the presence of semen.
Fructose
Men whose sperm count is low or have azoospermia will have done this test to determine whether sperm is blocked or just not produced. This test is intended to distinguish between the two problems.
Spun Specimen
In some cases, a man may have such a low sperm that no sperm is noticed on the initial test slide. However, sperm can still be present in the ejaculate. This test helps to determine if there is sperm or not by rotating the ejaculate sample, so that all sperm that may be present can be separated and collected at the bottom of the tube. If semen is identified, a few still certain ART methods can be used, such as ICSI with IVF.
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