Of the approximately 2 million couples in the United States who are dealing with infertility, male infertility accounts for about 40% of this number, and diagnostic tests can often help to identify the problem.
Before attempting to diagnose or treat male infertility, there are normally a series of diagnostic tests run. One of the most common diagnostic tests for male infertility is semen analysis.
What is Semen Analysis?
Semen analysis is done to evaluate male fertility, and a man’s ability to father children. A semen analysis is often referred to as a sperm count.
This analysis is used to measure the quantity and quality of the male seminal fluid, or ejaculate. Seminal fluid contains sperm, which fertilize the female egg for conception.
Semen analysis may also be done to check for Klinefelter’s Syndrome, which is the most common congenital cause of testosterone deficiency.
Semen analysis should preferably be done by a fertility specialist. Semen samples must be examined within 2 hours for accurate results. Many fertility specialists require three semen samples to account for varying conditions in the laboratory, etc.
Semen analysis includes these factors:
- Volume, which is the total amount of ejaculate
- Standard test which checks acidity, thickness and color
- The concentration of sperm count to milliliter of ejaculate
- Morphology, which is sperm shape and structure
- Motility, or percentage of sperm that show forward movement and mobility
- Total number of moving sperm
Normal seminal fluid is clear to milky white, thick and sticky in consistency, contains few or no white blood cells, and has a pH level of between 7.8 and 8.0.
WHO, or the World Health organization, has determined the following values for normal sperm:
- Total volume is greater than 2 mL
- Concentration of at least 20 million sperm per mL
- Morphology—at least 15% normal sperm
- Motility—more than 50% sperm with forward motion, at least 25% with rapid motion within 1 hour of ejaculation
- Fewer than 1 million white blood cells per mL
- MAR test, which is sperm mixed antiglobulin reaction shows adherent particles in less than 10% of sperm
If you are dealing with infertility, these facts and figures might help you to unravel the meaning of some of the lab results you may have done.
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