MAIL FERTILITY: SEMEN ANALYSIS
This is the most basic male fertility test. The man is asked to produce a sample by masturbating directly into a sterile container. Some clinics will ask the man to collect the sample at home and bring it into the lab within 0ne hour, while others will ask the man to produce the sample at the clinic. The man will be asked to abstain from sex for a minimum of 48 hours but not longer than seven days before giving the sample. Some men may have difficulty producing a sample by masturbation or their personal beliefs may prohibit this. If so, special condoms can be provided by the clinic to collect the sperm. Ordinary condoms cannot be used because lubricants, spermicides and even the type of rubber can affect the sperm. The lab will look at the sample and measure the following factors:
• the number of sperm per milliliter (i.e. the sperm count) ‘ • the percentage of sperm moving (i.e. motile sperm)
• the quality of that movement called progression (graded from 1-4, with 1 being the highest grade)
• the percentage of abnormal sperm
• volume of semen
The World Health Organization’s 1992 recommendations state that there should be more than 20 million sperm, more than 30 per cent of which should be normal and more than 50 per cent moving actively.
The medical terms used with the sperm count are oligozoospermia (too few sperm) and azoospermia (no sperm at all). With both of these, further tests should be done to see if there is a reason for the result. High levels of abnormal sperm are called teratozoospermia and low motility is called astenozoospermia.
Seminal Volume
The normal volume of seminal fluid is between 2 and 6 ml and this level can vary depending on the length of abstinence before giving the sample. If the volume is low, this may interfere with the transportation of the sperm and they may not reach the cervix. If the man has a low volume of semen then the fructose test is done. This test can show whether there is a blockage in the ducts.
High volume can also be a problem, although this is more unusual. The high volume may dilute the density of the sperm and affect their motion.
As always, it comes back to getting the right balance. It is no good having too few or too many sperm; it can also be a problem if there is too low or too high a volume of semen. The aim is homeostasis, where the body and all its physiological processes are able to maintain their own equilibrium.
If one semen analysis shows up a problem in any area (such as count or motility) it is worth repeating the analysis. Periods of stress, or illnesses such as flu, can produce unusual sperm samples. One man, who had been following the suggestions in this book to improve his sperm sample, re-did the sperm analysis soon after attending his mother’s funeral and it looked as if the sperm quality had actually decreased from his previous sample, but the lab rechecked a few weeks later and everything was fine.
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