Male fertility tests
When a couple have fertility problems it's usually the woman who wants to get advice early on, but there's no point in her doing this on her own. If a couple are having difficulty in conceiving it really doesn't make sense for the man to delay. A semen analysis should always be the first test to be done if fertility is to be investigated.
How men can be helped?
© DK
Male infertility has nothing to do with virility. A man's sperm may be incapable of fertilizing an egg, yet he may be an excellent lover. In contrast, a man who is unable to make love to a woman may have perfectly viable, fertile sperm.
Studies suggest that sperm counts decreased during the 20th century because of environmental factors such as exposure to oestrogens in foodstuffs and chemicals used in the plastics industry that enter the food chain. At one time, much more was known about female infertility than male, but fertility clinics now deal just as much with male problems and diseases. There's a greater chance than ever before that men who have low fertility or are infertile can be helped to achieve natural fatherhood.
Male semen analysis
One of the first tests for a man is semen analysis. Sperm counts can vary according to circumstances, such as how often he has sexual intercourse and therefore two samples may be analyzed if the first shows problems.
The analysis checks the number of sperm in a sample, how well and how much they move, and their shape. Many specialists believe that even a relatively low sperm count may not affect a man's fertility. But if he has a low sperm count combined with many sperm that are malformed, move poorly, or both, or if there is a high white blood cell content, then it's likely that his fertility will be affected.
Low sperm counts
There are several types of low sperm count. A semen analysis decides which of the following definitions apply to a particular sperm sample:
- Azoospermia: there's no sperm in the semen, because the man cannot make sperm, he has a blockage affecting the sperm transportation, or he fails to ejaculate.
- Oligospermia: fewer than 20 million sperm per millilitre of semen. A mild case is around 10-20 million, a moderate case is 5-10 million, and a severe case would be fewer than 5 million sperm per millilitre.
- Aesthenospermia: sperm are unable to wriggle but count is normal.
- Teratospermia: a high number of abnormal sperm. This is severe if the man has more than 70 per cent abnormal sperm, possibly caused by a chromosomal abnormality or by some kind of environmental damage.
Semen analysis
If you have to give a semen sample for analysis, follow instructions carefully to make sure that results are accurate and the test won't have to be repeated.
Taking the test sample
The man must not ejaculate for three days. He then produces a semen specimen by masturbating into a sterile plastic pot marked with name, date, and the time. The sample is protected from temperature extremes and delivered to the laboratory.
What's healthy?
- Amount: 2-5ml ( ½ -1tsp).
- Numbers: more than 20 million sperm per millilitre.
- Motility: more than one-half of the sperm wriggle.
- Normality: more than one-third of the sperm are normal.
- White blood cells: fewer than 1 million per ml of sperm.
Special semen tests
After routine semen analysis, microscopic tests of sperm function would be done only at a specialist clinic as part of the secondary stage of investigation of a couple with infertility problems.
Special tests examine the ability of sperm to penetrate mucus so they can get through the cervix to the uterus, and from there to the tubes and egg.
Posted 16.11.2010
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